Out of Her Head
by 1Blue25
Summary: Devastated by an unrequited crush, Bella Swan escapes her troubles and moves to Chicago to teach at a prestigious prep school. Mysterious and sexy Edward Cullen can't seem to make up his mind how he feels about his new colleague. AU-Human
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Devastated by an unrequited crush, Bella Swan escapes her troubles and moves to Chicago to teach at a prestigious prep school. Mysterious and sexy Edward Cullen can't seem to make up his mind how he feels about his new colleague. As Bella settles into her own life, she discovers that Edward may be keeping secrets of his own.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

Bella Swan desperately wanted to get out of her own head. The same thoughts kept swirling around, causing her emotions to overload and she couldn't take it anymore. She cranked the volume on the car stereo, trying to drown out the voices.

The radio station was one she had randomly found, and it was not the type of music she usually listened to. But the loud beat, drums, guitar grooves and screeching voices were just the antidote she was looking for. Soon enough, the voices in her head were replaced with the screeching ones coming from the speakers of her Toyota Camry. She relaxed a little against her seat and concentrated on her driving once again.

Bella was en route from her hometown of Forks, Washington to her new home in Chicago, Illinois. If you had told her three weeks ago that she would be moving cross-country for a job, she would have laughed outrageously. Bella had never even considered moving away from Forks. She'd been born and raised in Forks. She made the occasional trip to visit her mom in Florida, where she lived with her new husband, but that was the extent of her travels. Bella was a home-body. She craved the protective cocoon of her hometown: the people that had known her all her life, the forests that surrounded the town. Even the constant rain was a near necessity. The sound of it pelting against her window put her to sleep at night. More importantly, Forks held the reason for her existence: Jacob Black.

Bella and Jacob had been friends since they were in diapers. After her mom had skipped town and left her and her dad behind, Charlie had been devastated. As the town's police chief, he'd been forced to keep things together at least on the surface. At home, he'd turned to alcohol to numb the pain of missing Bella's mother. He'd managed to take care of Bella, barely, but it had been easy enough for him to stay sober until she went down for the night. It was then that he would cling to his bottle of whiskey and drink and cry the night away. This pattern went on for several months until one of his fishing buddies surprised him early one Saturday morning. Billy Black lived on the La Push Reservation, but he'd been friends with Charlie longer than either of them cared to admit.

Billy knew that his friend had been depressed ever since his wife had taken off to "find herself" in Phoenix. Hell, who wouldn't be? Billy just hadn't realized the depths of his pain, nor the lengths that Charlie had gone to in order to numb the pain. That Saturday morning, he'd found Charlie passed out on the floor, and Bella screaming at the top of her lungs from her crib up in her room. Bella had been two at the time. That was the day that Charlie Swan got sober. Billy had cleaned him up, talked him through his hangover, sent Bella to stay with their friends Sue and Harry Clearwater, and then he'd beat the crap out of him. That very night, Charlie attended his first AA meeting. And he hadn't touched the bottle again.

Three months later, Billy and his wife welcomed a son into their family. They named him Jacob. Charlie became an honorary uncle, and the two families had been close ever since.

Bella and Jacob had grown up together as close as siblings. That is until Bella had discovered at the age of 16 that Jacob Black was actually a pretty good-looking boy. His hair was long and black and shiny. Bella would spend hours running her hands through it, which Jacob grudgingly put up with. His eyes were dark and mysterious – she could never quite tell what he was thinking. Bella found that he had the annoying habit of running his finger across his lips while he was reading. Well, it was annoying to her because it just emphasized that part of his body that she wanted to feel all over hers. Most nights, they would work on their homework together, only Bella would spend very little time actually on her homework. She was too distracted by Jacob's hands, his ears, even his shoulders and the way they bunched together as he lay on her bedroom floor working through an algebra problem. She was fascinated by him and hoped that he felt the same about her.

At the age of 17, it was to her extreme disappointment that she discovered that she was in love with him. This revelation came to her as he described how he had lost his virginity the day before to one of the girls from the Makah Tribe. Bella had been holding onto the hope that their first times would be together. It was then that she realized that he viewed her as nothing more than a sister. All her sad attempts at flirting and seduction had been in vain. She cried herself to sleep for the next week, imagining him making love to all the girls on the reservation. But never touching her.

Bella didn't date all through high school. She had Jacob, and hadn't needed any more male companionship than that. However, as her senior prom loomed, she thought of a plan to retaliate against Jacob's callous treatment of her feelings. This plan would have been ingenious, had Jacob ever realized that he'd been callous in the first place. Sadly, Jacob Black continued to be ignorant to the extent of Bella's feeling for him.

Jacob was surprised to learn that Bella had asked Mike Newton to go to prom with her. Jacob had assumed that he would be escorting Bella to prom. Bella's plans of revenge continued to disintegrate when Jacob shrugged when she told him her exciting prom news and he told her to "have fun."

Jerk.

When Bella showed up at Jacob's house on the Sunday after prom for their usual football afternoon, it was not too surprising that Jacob pointedly ignored the enormous hickey that stood out like a neon light on her neck. He continued to ignore her as she told him that she other hickeys in "places that she couldn't show him." She finally got the reaction she was looking for when she informed her best friend that she'd done it with Mike Newton.

"Crap, Bella, did you have to pick such a douchebag to give it up to? If you were looking to throw it away, I could have pointed ten different guys from the rez in your direction."

Alright, it hadn't been the exact reaction she'd pined for. In her heart of hearts, she'd hoped for a dramatic display of regret and longing. Jacob would curse his own soul for driving her away from him and beg her forgiveness. They would kiss passionately, get married, have lots of babies, and live happily every after.

She decided that day to go to the local community college like her dad had been begging her to do for months. So what if Jacob Black didn't want her? Surely, there were other guys out there, besides Mike Newton, that wanted her?

Bella spent the next four years searching for the mythical "other guys that wanted her." Mike Newton, bless his heart, continued to send an occasional booty call in her direction. Bella just wasn't interested. Her first sexual encounter had been interesting, a little painful, but not all that fun. She got more enjoyment out of painting her toes.

In the meantime, she went to classes, read a lot of books, took care of her dad, and continued her daily Jacob Black self-torture. She watched as he dated his way through the girls on his reservation, the town of Forks, and even the town of Port Angeles 50 miles to the north. He never stayed with the same girl for more than a couple weeks. Bella didn't know how he managed the girls and first high school, then his job at the garage on the south side of town. But, like a fool, she would serve him dinner with her dad every night at 6:00, and listen to his escapades.

Charlie found him amusing. Increasingly, Bella found him annoying. At first, she'd excused his behavior with "he's young; he'll grow out of it and discover that his true love's been waiting all this time right under his nose." For four years, Bella waited for him to make that discovery. Every time he broke up with one of his skanks, Bella would get her hopes up, only to be dashed nearly the next day when he'd talk about some new skirt that had walked into the garage. Bella suffered through it because that's what she did best.

Things changed the summer after she graduated from college. She'd managed to get a degree in secondary education while studying through an online program that was in conjunction with her community college. She'd spend the spring semester student teaching at the very high school she'd attended only four years prior. It had been a strange experience to return to the school and start calling all her teachers by their first names. Mr. Banner had become John, Mr. Varner had become Steve, and so on.

Bella found that she really enjoyed teaching. She spent the semester with Mr. Mason – Dave – learning how to teach English to high school students. It had been a struggle at first, learning how to balance classroom discipline with the actual learning process, but Bella had thrived in the challenge of it all.

She'd been nominated for state student teacher of the year by her advisor, and had won. Charlie had been so proud. Bella had been practically guaranteed a teaching position anywhere in the state.

Still, the pull of Jacob Black was strong. Bella wanted to stay in Forks. She put applications in at the high school in Forks, even at the middle school, hoping that a position would open up. By the beginning of August, she'd been disheartened. It didn't look like a position would be available nearby. Bella had been contacted by numerous other high schools around the state, all vying for the honor of hiring the student teacher of the year. Bella had interviewed with some of them the month before, at Charlie's insistence, when they'd attended the conference in Seattle. Bella just couldn't picture herself living away from Forks, even just the three hour drive to Seattle. Bella wanted to stay with Jacob.

The turning point came two weeks before school was due to start. The weather had been miserable all week. The constant rain had been bothersome instead of soothing. Bella felt the weight of the clouds like they were resting on her back. She was scared, confused, and running out of hope for finding a job for that school year.

Gripping the steering wheel of her car tightly, Bella recalled the conversation that had changed everything. She'd been serving dinner to her dad, a night just like every other night. Jacob was late to dinner, as usual.

"The diner's hiring. I'm going to put in an application tomorrow."

Charlie folded the paper down to look over the top of it at her.

"What are you talking about? You've had three job offers this week for teaching positions. You need to take one of those jobs. That's what you went to college for."

"Dad, they're all so far away. I can't leave you here to fend for yourself. How would you eat?" Bella tried smiling at her dad to chase away the frown that had settled on his face.

"Bella, you've taken care of me for the past fifteen years. I think its time I learned how to cook a meal for myself. I'll be fine – it's you I'm worried about."

Bella turned back to the stove to hide the tears that had sprung to her eyes so suddenly.

"There's nothing to worry about. I'm great."

"I know you're great, but you don't act your age, honey. Other 22 year-olds go out with their friends, cause a little trouble, date every once in a while."

"We've talked about this before – I enjoy spending time with you. Girls my age are so silly. All they talk about are clothes and boys. And they giggle – all the time they giggle. I never understand what's so funny."

"Bells, I know you're more mature than your 22 years, but maybe you could try a little harder. I don't want to see you end up like me."

Bella turned on him, the anger in her eyes chasing away the tears.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that it's not healthy to spend your life pining after someone who doesn't love you. At least in the way that you deserved to be loved."

Bella couldn't stand to see the pity in his eyes. Worse, knowing that he knew her deep, dark secret. Before she could respond, the object of that very secret came bursting into their kitchen.

"Hey Bells, Charlie. Sorry I'm late."

Charlie nodded at Jacob and turned back to his newspaper.

Bella couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face when Jacob came into the room. Even though he was insensitive, even though he purposely ignored the fact that she was irrevocably in love with him, even though he punished her every time he mentioned one of his girls, Bella loved him. He brought joy to her otherwise dreary life, and she was going to hold onto it for as long as she could. It would have to be enough.

"Hey! You're just in time. The lasagna is just coming out of the oven."

"Excellent – my favorite. Bells, you are the best."

Bella smiled at him as she dished him up a heaping plate. She served Charlie and herself, and they ate in companionable silence for a while.

Charlie finished off his plate and began his usual interrogation.

"What's new at Uley's?"

"Man, we got this sick Porsche that came in today. Sam's gonna let me test her out once he's finished tweaking the engine."

"Who in Forks owns a Porsche?" The most expensive car that Bella had ever seen around town was a BMW, and that had been an older model.

Jacob's eyes glittered and Bella knew that she was about to hear a story that she'd rather not know anything about.

"That's the best part. This chick from Portland dropped her off. Says she's a doctor. She's on her way to some conference and the engine started giving her problems. She pulled off into our garage this morning, but Sam's got some more work to do on the car, so she's crashing in the motel out on the highway. Guess who's taking her out for drinks later?" Jacob rubbed his hands together in anticipation of another of his conquests. Bella could only sigh.

"That's nice." She stood and quickly cleared the plates from the table.

Charlie noticed her discomfort and changed the subject.

"Bella's got some news too. Tell Jacob about the job offers."

Bella rolled her eyes, but gratefully followed the change in topic.

"Um, Seattle West called again. Tacoma Consolidated made me an offer today. Oh, yeah, and some school in Chicago called me today too." Bella laughed out loud at that one.

Jacob rocked his chair back. "What's so funny about the Chicago school?"

"It's funny because it's in Chicago. I mean, do they really expect to move across the country just to teach high school? Dad, I still can't believe that you made me interview with them last month at the conference."

"You didn't tell me that the Cullen Academy had called. Did they make an offer?" Charlie seemed more excited about this job offer than any of the others she'd received. Bella narrowed her eyes at him in distrust.

"Yeah, they did. It was a nice offer too. They'll pay moving expenses, full benefits, and tuition reimbursement if I want to pursue my masters. It's actually a great school and if they were anywhere near Forks, I would work for them in a heartbeat. But, I'm not moving to Chicago, so we can just drop it."

"Bells, Chicago's a great place. I think you'd like it there."

And that was the sentence that had broken her heart.

Bella had stared at Jacob in shock. He'd been supportive of her desire to stay close to home up until that moment. She thought he'd understood that she was never leaving Forks (never leaving him actually, but that went unspoken) and any jobs that she would take would be within driving distance of her house. He'd listened while Charlie had pushed the Seattle and Tacoma jobs on her, but he had never pushed her to take them.

She had secretly hoped that it was because he didn't want her to leave either. That he'd finally realized how much she meant to him, and his lack of support for these out of town jobs had been his was of asking her to stay.

Instead, he was at that very moment telling her to take the job that was the farthest away from the town of Forks that she could get. It was as if he'd been waiting for some far away land to come and whisk her away and take her out of his hair.

Bella suddenly saw herself through his eyes. She was his albatross. He'd found a way to unwrap her from his neck and he was happy about it. Yep, the schmuck was smiling at her as if he didn't realize that he'd shattered a lifetime of dreams with one little sentence.

Bella realized in that moment that she had to get over Jacob Black. He was never going to love her, and she was going to need a clean break in order to do it. Much like her dad had kicked the bottle all those years ago, Bella needed to kick Jacob Black. She smiled sardonically as she pictured herself doing just that.

"You know what, Jacob? You're right. I think I will like Chicago. I'm going to call the school right now and accept the job."

Charlie and Jacob stared at her as if she'd grown an extra head. Charlie found his tongue first.

"Bella, are you sure that's what you want to do? Chicago's pretty far away. I know I told you earlier, to um, yeah, but this seems drastic."

"Dad, you were right. I need a change. I need it now. This school is perfect – it's everything I could hope for. I need this, Dad."

Charlie looked at his daughter as if he'd never seen her before. Jacob looked surprised. There was something else churning in his dark eyes, but Bella couldn't decipher it.

"Well, I've got lots to do if I'm moving to Chicago. I'll see you later."

Bella had flounced out of the room like the 22 year-old girl she actually was. She felt the weight of seven year's worth of longing lift from her shoulders. Maybe she would start a new life in Chicago. One where she wasn't completely and miserably in love with Jacob Black.

Bella barely managed to close the door behind her before she broke down in tears on her bed.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: Devastated by an unrequited crush, Bella Swan escapes her troubles and moves to Chicago to teach at a prestigious prep school. Mysterious and sexy Edward Cullen can't seem to make up his mind how he feels about his new colleague. As Bella settles into her own life, she discovers that Edward may be keeping secrets of his own. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer. **

Bella had been driving for three days. She had finally crossed the Illinois state line, and she was really excited to see her new home. She'd seen more of the country in the past three days than ever before in her entire life. Truthfully, it had been exciting. Bella had never thought that she would take off on a trip on her own. Yet, here she was on the biggest adventure of her life. She could only hope that she'd made the right decision.

The day she'd left Forks, she'd bid Charlie, Jacob, and even Billy Black goodbye. They'd all come to wave her off as she pulled away in her car and U-haul trailer. She'd packed what little belongings she had and a few small pieces of furniture.

There'd been no last minute pleas from Jacob for her to stay. Just a hug, a smile, and the promise that he would call her every day. Charlie's goodbye had been much the same, except he'd actually cried. Which had opened her own floodgates. It had taken both Jacob and Billy to coax her in her car and on her way to Chicago.

The Cullen Academy was actually located in the northern Chicago suburb of Bear Lake, Illinois. As Bella cruised down Route 12, she was still surprised by the lack of scenery. In Forks, they'd been surrounded by lush forests, mountains, and the constant green of the plant-life. She'd been surprised to find that the plains of America were aptly named. There was no rise and fall of the earth. The trees were few and far between. The only green that she could find was in the grass. The sparseness of vegetation made Forks look like an unkempt garden.

None of this diminished the excitement of what lay ahead. She had a new apartment to move into, co-workers to meet, a boss to impress, and 120 young minds to educate. Cullen Academy was a private school that catered to mid to upper class high school students from the surrounding towns.

Bella had met the school's principal, Emmett Cullen, at the conference in Seattle in July. She had instantly liked him. It was hard to find something not to like about him actually. He was a large man, which only made him seem capable of handling any of the rowdy teenagers that passed his way on a daily basis. He was friendly and extremely good-looking, not that Bella usually noticed that about men other than Jacob, but it had been hard to ignore his dimples, or the wedding ring on his left hand. She could tell that he must have a good rapport with the students at the school. He could only be in his late twenties at the most, but he seemed just out of high school himself.

He'd been knowledgeable about the school's English department, which had impressed Bella. She'd gone on a few interviews where the principal had no idea what was actually taught at their school; they seemed more interested in what trophies the football team would be bringing home that year. Bella didn't begrudge them their sports programs, but she felt that the students needed to exercise their brains as well as their bodies. Some principals had disagreed.

It was on this late August day that Bella pulled into an apartment complex just outside of town in nearby Ingle Heights. Bear Lake had begun as a vacation community, and only recently had people begun to make it their year-round homes. Hence, there was a distinct lack of affordable rentals in the area. But Bella wouldn't be far from the school.

Cullen Academy was a grand structure that sat on the south side of the lake. Emmett had told her that the views from the property were incredible. She was looking forward to seeing the campus tomorrow when she met with Emmett again and finally got a tour.

Bella spent the next few hours unpacking her belongings and settling into her new apartment. The complex had been built in the '70's, so the rooms were smaller and out of date. She had a one-bedroom, second floor apartment and she loved it. She had one bathroom that she didn't have to share with anyone. Her kitchen was drastically white and just waiting for her personal touch. The living room was long and narrow, but Bella didn't have any furniture to fill it so it suited her perfectly.

Bella found a grocery store just down the street and bought groceries for just herself for the very first time. She didn't have to worry about buying enough extra to fill Jacob's bottomless stomach. She didn't have to buy coffee for Charlie, or make sure that he had his lottery tickets twice a week. Bella reveled in the freedom. She filled her shopping cart with the basic necessities and all the healthy food that she'd been trying to get Charlie and Jacob to eat for years.

After she'd returned home (yes, to her very own home!), Bella unpacked her bags of treasure and pondered the two phone calls she had to make. The first would be easy. The second, probably painful.

She took a deep breath and dialed the phone number she'd known by heart since kindergarten.

"Hey Dad!" She replied when he answered.

"Bella! It's about time. I was getting worried. Did you make it there ok?"

"Yeah, everything's great. I'm unpacked, and I bought some groceries and I'm just getting ready for the teacher meetings tomorrow at school."

"I gotta tell you kid, I miss you."

Bella felt those pesky tears spring into her eyes again.

"I know Dad, I miss you too."

"Jake was over here earlier asking about you. Have you called him yet?"

"He's next on my list."

"Go easy on him, he doesn't look good."

Bella was on instant alert. "What do you mean? Is he sick?" She considered the viability of flying home tomorrow to check on him.

"I don't mean that he looks sick. I mean he looks, I don't know, sad."

Bella's sympathy levels instantly dropped. She sniffed into her cell phone. "Yeah, well, tough."

"Bells, don't be like that. Give him a call."

Bella didn't want to argue with her dad, especially about Jacob. She didn't know where this sudden Jacob support was coming from though. Charlie had practically forced her out of town, and now that she was gone, he wanted her to feel sorry for Jacob. Not gonna happen.

"I will as soon as you stop yapping at me." Her dad laughed.

"Alright. Good luck tomorrow. Call me and let me know how it goes?"

"Of course. Night Dad. Love you."

"I love you too honey."

Alright, so that phone call hadn't been as easy as she'd hoped it would be. Bella took a deep breath before dialing again.

"Bella?" Jake answered on the first ring.

"Hey Jacob, how's it going?" God, she sounded lame even to her own ears.

"Bella, I was worried." Now he sounded just like her dad.

"I'm fine. I got here safe and sound. The apartment's great and I'm all unpacked. Just looking forward to starting work tomorrow." Bella was at a sudden loss for words. She no longer knew how to speak to the man who had ripped her heart out of her chest, yet didn't know it.

"Ok. Bells, are you sure this is what you want? You could probably still get one of those jobs in Portland if you wanted them."

"Jacob, those jobs were in Seattle, not Portland, and I didn't want them. I want this job." This phone call was as painful as she'd thought it would be. He didn't even remember where her other two, closer to home, job offers had been from. She wondered if he'd ever listened to what she'd had to say.

Jacob cleared his throat. "Right, Seattle. Um, I've got to go."

"Oh, ok. Well, bye."

"Bye."

His sudden brush-off took Bella off guard. She sighed and repeated her mantra: I will not let him get me down. I will not let him get me down. That had been the strangest phone call they'd ever had. Before, they'd been able to spend hours on the phone together, talking about everything and anything. That phone call had felt forced and uncomfortable. Bella knew it was all her fault, but she had no other choice. She had to keep closing him out.

She had the sudden thought that maybe moving to Chicago hadn't been the best plan after all. Maybe there was no place on earth that she could escape to that would be far enough away from the cruel unyielding pain of loving Jacob Black.

Bella climbed into bed, her dinner forgotten in her tiny refrigerator, and cried herself to sleep yet again.

* * *

The next morning, the sun shone through the windows in Bella's bedroom. The glare was unforgiving, since she hadn't put up and drapes yet. She added them to the list of things to buy for her apartment.

She'd seen a sign for a fitness room when she'd pulled into the complex yesterday. Bella had never exercised a day in her life; she was actually fairly clumsy and lacked eye-hand coordination. But, she had the sudden urge to run off her frustrations, and a treadmill seemed safer than a potentially uneven roadway. She dug out a pair of shorts and tank top, and made her way across the courtyard to the building on the other side of the complex.

Bella used the key they'd given her for the room, the one she thought she'd never even look at again. There were already two other people in the room, and Bella was self-conscious enough to quietly try to back out of the room again.

A girl on one of the treadmills stopped her.

"Hi! I'm Jessica!" The tall brunette was unusually perky for the early hour, but Bella returned her greeting.

"Morning. I'm Bella."

"Great! Have you lived here long? Hop on the treadmill next to me so we can talk."

Bella was taken aback by her friendliness. Most girls backed home had ignored her, much to her bewilderment. She'd never had a female friend – just Jacob. She looked at the weight set in the corner, where a tall, older man appeared to be working on his biceps. He smiled at her and continued with his own workout.

Bella put her towel and bottle of water down next to the treadmill and stared at it blankly.

"Um….how do you work this?" There were buttons galore, and Bella was afraid of breaking the machine. Luckily, Jessica was as helpful as she was friendly.

"Here, you just push this," and with a couple of beeps, Bella was walking alongside Jessica. She watched the girl's brown hair swing side to side in tune with her bouncing movements.

"You never answered my question – did you just move in? I saw a U-haul pull in yesterday. I wondered if that was you." She was persistent too.

"That was me. I just moved here from a small town in Washington. I have a job at the Cullen Academy."

"Oh….awesome. My friend Angela teaches there – math. I'll tell her to look you up. Are you single? There are a lot of hot, single men on staff there too. I just broke up with my boyfriend, so I guess he's single now too, but I'd prefer it if you didn't date him."

Bella's was amused by the girl's lack of a brain filter. It seemed like she spoke whatever she thought.

"Well, I guess I'll stay away from him. What's his name?" Bella wasn't anxious to ruin her first potential female friendship by stepping over some unknown boundaries. It seemed easier to go along with Jessica's request.

"Eric. Eric Yorkie. He teaches chemistry. What a joke. He doesn't know anything about chemistry, if you know what I mean." Jessica winked at her and Bella looked away, embarrassed. She wasn't used to talking to girls about boys or anything else really.

"Uh, I'll keep an eye out for him then. How do I make this thing go faster? I'd really like to try running." Bella hoped that the faster she moved, the harder it would be to keep up a conversation with her new best friend. Sadly, Jessica had no problems talking, even when they were in the midst of a full out run. She kept up her commentary about the men she had dated, her job at the local bank, and what perverts to avoid in the apartment complex.

Thirty minutes later, Bella was done. She'd enjoyed the run, much to her surprise, but keeping up with Jessica was exhausting.

They stretched together, and Bella found herself promising to meet her again tomorrow so they could work on their abs. She was afraid of what kind of torture that might be, but it was hard to turn down an invite from the only person she'd talked to in the entire state.

Bella took her time getting ready for the day. Since it was just a staff day, they weren't expected to dress professionally, but Bella wanted to make a good first impression. She pulled out a pair of khakis and a blue v-neck sweater that her mom had sent after she'd found out about Bella's job. It figured that her mom would know even from thousands of miles away that Bella wouldn't own anything appropriate to wear to a job.

Bella got in her car and made her way to the campus. Her meeting with Emmett was scheduled for 9:00, and Bella was a good twenty minutes early. She drove down the long drive to the school off the main road, and was happy to find herself surrounded by trees. Perhaps it wouldn't be so different here than it was from Forks after all. She followed the drive for about a mile before it opened up into a wide parking lot. On the other side of the lot stood the main building of the campus. It was an imposing 3-story brick structure. Surely, the size and scope of the complex put even Ivy League schools to shame. Off to the left Bella could make out the curve of the lake just beyond what appeared to be several acres worth of sports fields. To the right of the school were several smaller buildings, but all built in the same Neo-Classical style.

Bella parked her car and stared up at the main building in awe. She knew that the school that had hired her was a prestigious one. She knew that they received thousands of student applications every year for a scant 120 spots. She didn't realize that the school would look so foreboding and for lack of a better word, pretentious. Bella hoped that she was ready to teach the level of English that these students would require. There was only one way to find out.

Bella got out of her car and walked up the short flight of stairs and in through the main doors of the school. Bella sighed in relief when she took in the interior of the building. This was what she was expecting. The floors were made of marble, but the narrow hallways and clear-cut floor plan screamed educational institution. She easily found her way to the main office and introduced herself to the woman sitting at the counter. The name plaque identified her as Mrs. Trips.

"Bella, welcome. Emmett is running a few minutes behind this morning, but that gives you time to fill out your HR paperwork."

She led Bella to a desk behind the imposing counter, and left her to fill out the pages and pages of data.

It was a good 45 minutes later when she sensed a presence standing behind her. She looked up into the smiling face of Emmett Cullen.

"Bella! Sorry I'm late, but it looks like you've kept busy. Let's step into my office and have a talk."

"Ok." Bella followed the gregarious man into his office and took one of the proffered chairs opposite his desk. The office was smaller than she thought it would be, but it seemed to suit the man.

"Did you get moved in alright? How was the drive from Washington?"

"The drive was good. I really enjoyed seeing so much of the country. I'm all moved in and anxious to get started here." Bella was nervous, but she hoped that her nerves didn't show. She wanted to make a good impression on this man who was now her boss.

"Excellent. I'll take you on the tour, and then we'll head to the library for the first staff meeting of the year. Then, you can get started on setting up your room."

Emmett took his time showing Bella around the building. She could tell that he took pride in the school and the academic achievements that the students had become known for. He paused next to a picture of his parents, who were the school's founders. Bella was impressed by the love and respect he showed when he spoke of them.

"They live downtown now, but they still serve on the board of directors. When I was a kid, this school was all they breathed. My brother and I grew up here. We were the unofficial mascots – we ran through the halls like the demon children we were causing all sorts of problems. Mom is always telling us that we gave her each and every grey hair she has on her head."

Bella smiled and nodded while he talked about his parents. She could picture him and his brother running wild through the halls.

"Does your brother work here too?"

If she had blinked, Bella would have missed the very quick look of suspicion that Emmett cast her way. As it was, it passed over his features before she could even make out what it meant, and it was soon forgotten.

"He does. Edward is the music teacher. You'll meet him at the staff meeting, which is due to start, in, oh man, 5 minutes ago. Let's go." He set off down the long hallway and Bella had no choice but to run to keep up with his long legs.

They turned the corner at the end of the hall and Bella found herself in the most beautiful room she'd ever seen. The ceiling suddenly opened up to the full three stories of the building above them. The library had three different levels, all with floor to ceiling bookcases. Bella had never seen so many books in one place before. For a book lover like her, it was a dream come true.

Bella snapped out of it and realized that Emmett had abandoned her at the entrance to the library. She ran down the row of books in front of her and came to a screeching halt in front of a room full of people, all of whom were looking her way in expectation. In her absence, Emmett had taken the opportunity to start the meeting and introduce her as the new English teacher.

Bella turned red from the roots of her hair all the way down to her knees. She had just met all of her co-workers by careening into the room at top speed. A few of them snickered behind their hands, others coughed trying to hide their laughter. One man, who stood at the back of the group, seemed to ignore her completely though and that was probably why he caught her attention. He was the only person not staring at her.

The man was tall, with bronze-colored hair. Bella couldn't make much else out about him, but her perusal was cut short when Emmett gestured to an open chair in the front of the group. Still blushing, Bella took her seat and tried to regain her composure enough to pay attention.

The meeting didn't take long. It was the usual welcome back remarks and what was expected from them during the school year. Bella was the only new teacher this year, and Emmett suggested that the others stop by her room to introduce themselves.

When he dismissed the group, Emmett turned back to Bella. "Ready to go see your room?"

"Absolutely."

Bella spent the next few hours organizing her room. It was a large room, much larger than the English room had been at Forks High School. She had 6 classes every day, each with about 20 students. Bella was the freshman English teacher, and as she looked over the curriculum, she was glad to see that she was familiar with all the books on the list. She'd been afraid that she would spend the first few weeks trying to read the material before she'd be able to teach it to her students, but with that out of the way, she could concentrate on her lesson plans instead.

Bella was in the process of making a list of things to pick up from the supply store, when there was a knock at her door. She smiled when she saw that it was Emmett. So far, he'd been a great boss. She'd never expected him to be so friendly. He walked in and was immediately followed by the man from the library – the one who hadn't laughed at her grand entrance.

"Hi Bella, I hope we're not interrupting. I wanted to introduce my brother to you. This is Edward Cullen."

Edward extended his hand to her politely, but in a reserved manner that was the total opposite of Emmett's boisterous personality. Bella nonetheless shook his hand and smiled at him. Edward returned the briefest of smiles and stuck his hands in his pockets.

Emmett frowned at his brother. "Edward's the music teacher. His room's on the ground floor next to the library."

Bella's good mood returned at the mention of the library. "Then we'll probably be seeing a lot of each other. The library is huge – you're going to have to pry me out of there every night."

Emmett smiled at her remark, but Edward continued to frown and not look in her direction at all. Emmett frowned at his brother once again, bid her a good night, and followed Edward out of the room.

Bella stared after them for a few moments, but turned back to her work. Several of the other teachers stopped by over the course of the afternoon. She met the other teachers in her department, who proved to be very helpful in the development of her lessons.

The highlight of the afternoon was when Eric Yorkie stopped by. Her neighbor's Eric Yorkie. He was indeed the chemistry teacher, but Bella couldn't see Jessica's appeal in him at all. He seemed nice enough, but nothing to get all catty about. Dating Eric wouldn't be a problem for her. By the time 4:00 rolled around, Bella was exhausted. She packed her bags up and headed home.

She had never been so glad to come home in her entire life. There was still no place to sit, so Bella crashed on her bed instead. She was going to have to skip her workout session with Jessica tomorrow. There was no way she was going to be able to wake up early enough.

Bella fell asleep and rested dreamlessly until her phone woke her up around 9:00. Bella never liked being woken up. It was one thing to wake up to an alarm clock that you'd set yourself. You knew ahead of time that an unpleasant interruption was coming. Bella hated to be woken up by her dad, or by a noise outside, or by the ringing of the phone, like it was doing now.

She blinked at it sleepily and attempted to answer the ringing monster.

"Hello?"

"Bells! Hey, how was school? Ha! I've been waiting to ask you that for months."

"Jacob?" Why was Jacob calling her? She'd thought after their stilted conversation the day before that he would be avoiding her.

"Who else would it be? How was the first day? I want to hear all about it."

Bella realized with a start that Jacob had never before asked her how her day had been. She had always been the one to inquire after his day, and he would spend hours talking about his grand plans and sexual exploits. She'd been planning on making their call as short as possible; it was all part of her plan to put Jacob behind her. If he was going to call her everyday, that was going to be hard to do. But, he'd caught her off guard with his question and she found herself describing her day enthusiastically.

"And then Emmett came in at the end of the day and introduced his brother to me. Edward's the music teacher, but he's not very friendly."

"What's his problem?" The concern and protectiveness in his voice made Bella's heart skip a beat.

"I don't know, but he acted like he'd rather be anywhere else except in the same room with me."

"He has bad taste then. I wish I was in the same room with you right now. I miss you Bella."

Bella's heart clenched and started to melt. What was he doing to her?

"Jacob…"

"It's not the same here without you."

"Jake, I miss you guys too but I need to do this."

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry – I don't mean to drag you down. I just didn't realize…"

Bella sucked in air. Was he finally going to admit that he had feelings? For her?

"I didn't realize how bored I'd be without you."

Bella blew out the air she'd been holding in her lungs. Leave it to Jacob to ruin the moment.

"Yeah, well, I've got to go. I'm going to grab something to eat and get some sleep. Good night Jacob."

"Yeah, alright. Night Bells."

Bella closed her phone and rhythmically thudded her head against the wall. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Why was she so dumb? She had to stop allowing him to suck her in and chew her up.

**A/N: Please review and visit us on the Twilighted Forums. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary: Devastated by an unrequited crush, Bella Swan escapes her troubles and moves to Chicago to teach at a prestigious prep school. Mysterious and sexy Edward Cullen can't seem to make up his mind how he feels about his new colleague. As Bella settles into her own life, she discovers that Edward may be keeping secrets of his own. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer. **

As expected, Bella skipped the morning workout session with Jessica. She just didn't feel up to it. Instead, she headed into school early. The staff had two more days of meetings and set-up time before the students arrived. As a new teacher, Bella needed all the prep time she could get.

The parking lot was nearly empty when she arrived, and she got a spot close to the front of the building. Bella liked to think that things were looking up. She had a good job, she'd successfully moved cross-country by herself, and she'd already made a friend. Alright, maybe Jessica couldn't be classified as a friend quite yet, but Bella was willing to put some effort into it. She needed to start spending time with women her own age.

As Bella walked past the library and towards the stairs that led to her second-floor classroom, she could faintly hear music coming from the direction of the music room. She was apprehensive to approach, especially considering the younger Cullen's less than warm welcome the day before, but the music was so sad and played so beautifully, that she found her feet pulling her towards the music room anyway.

She stopped just outside the doorway and peered into the room. To her left were several rows of carpeted risers. Chairs were spread out across the rows, with music stands spaced every few feet. The room was orderly and neat. Bella imagined that it wouldn't take long for a couple hundred high school students to bring chaos to this room.

She turned her head to the right, and found the source of the music. Edward was playing the piano. He faced towards the risers, with his back mostly to her, so Bella felt safe standing there for a while, listening to him play. His head was bent over the keyboard in concentration and a lock of bronze-colored hair had fallen across his brow. Bella watched as his fingers danced so gently across the keys. She didn't recognize the piece that he was playing, but it was beautiful.

Just as she turned to leave, not wanting to interrupt, the music stopped. Bella turned back and found Edward staring at her, a look of surprise and reluctance on his face.

"I didn't mean to interrupt. I heard the music, and it just drew me in."

Edward quickly stood and faced her. He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels in an almost exact imitation of their meeting the day before.

"It's no bother. I mean, you didn't interrupt. I was just warming up. I have some new pieces I want to try out this year with the chamber band."

Bella didn't know much about music, but she was still impressed with what she'd heard him play.

"Did you write that piece you were playing?"

"Yeah. I have some other pieces I've written as well, that I'll probably incorporate later in the year. I've got to give the students some time to get used to playing again. I'm sure most of them haven't picked up their instruments all summer."

Edward smiled at her then, but it was a small tentative smile. It made Bella glad that she'd stopped by his room. Maybe he'd just been having a bad day the day before.

"I can imagine. My dad forced me to take piano lessons when I was 8. I hated it. I never practiced and my teacher would spend the whole lesson yelling at me for not practicing. I only lasted a month."

"That's a shame. I actually think that it's the teacher that makes all the difference. Maybe if you'd had at teacher with more patience, you would have actually enjoyed the lessons."

"You must have had a great piano teacher then – I didn't realize such a creature existed. We just had the one teacher in town back home." Bella was surprised at how easily they were conversing. She didn't usually talk to people so easily, and especially with this man, who'd looked like he wanted her banished from the school yesterday.

"My mom taught me. She actually taught Emmett and me, but Emmett's hands grew too big to keep playing and he moved onto playing sports instead. My fingers just stayed long and thin so it was no problem for me to keep playing."

Bella looked down at his hands and took in the slender fingers he had mentioned. They were beautiful, like out of a painting. She looked at her own stubby fingers and quickly clasped them behind her back.

"Well, I won't keep you. I came in early to finish working on my room. I've got a lot to do."

"Have a good day. I'll see you at the meeting later."

Bella smiled shyly. "Ok."

As she walked out of the room and looked back, Edward had returned to the piano bench, but he was watching her walk out of the room instead of down at the piano keys.

Bella spent the rest of the morning getting her room ready. She rearranged the desks into groups to facilitate discussions. She worked on her bulletin boards and organized the textbooks.

She had planned on working on her first week's worth of lesson plans next, but was interrupted by a knock at her door. A woman about her age stood in the doorway.

"Hi, you must be Bella. I'm Angela. I teach math right down the hall."

Bella stood up to greet her co-worker. "Hi, it's nice to meet you."

"Are you ready for the staff meeting? It's about to start."

A quick glance at the clock revealed that it was later than she realized.

"Thanks for reminding me – I've been so busy that I've let the day slip away."

Angela filled her in on the school gossip as they made their way to the library: who was dating who, what people to avoid. Bella hadn't realized the parallels of being back in high school as a teacher before. It was almost like being a student all over again.

Bella's entrance to the meeting was much less dramatic this time. She calmly took a seat next to Angela and tried not to be too obvious about glancing around the room for Edward. She found herself oddly drawn to him. She'd never been interested in any men other than Jacob before, and she found it confusing. She finally spotted him leaning against a post almost directly opposite her chair. He seemed to be looking in her direction, so Bella gave him a tentative smile, which he returned and then moved his attention to the front of the room where Emmett was getting the meeting started.

The meeting passed quickly, but Bella found her eyes more often than not drawn to a pair of green ones across the room. He never seemed to be looking her way, which was good because she would have been embarrassed to be caught staring. At the end of the meeting, she said goodbye to Angela, and headed back towards her room before heading home. Bella planned to spend the evening working on her lesson plans and investigating how to get some more furniture for her apartment. She really needed a sofa, table, a couple chairs, and maybe a TV just in case she ever found some free time again.

On her way to her car, she was surprised to see Emmett walking her way. He stopped when he saw her approach, and paced his steps to match hers as they headed out of the building.

"How's everything going Bella? Is there anything that you need? Is everyone treating you well?" He stressed his last question more than the others. Bella supposed he had noticed his brother's strange behavior as well.

"Everything's great. I'm going to work on my lesson plans tonight, and I've met several of the other teachers. Everyone's been really nice, which I really appreciate. It's tough being the new kid."

"I remember my first teaching job. I taught at a school in Chicago for two years. Believe me, not something I would suggest for a new teacher, but I had big plans to change the world. The other teachers that worked at the school all seemed so drained and jaded. It made me miserable too. I decided to become a principal instead so that I could inspire great teachers. Those are the types of people I like to see come and work at Cullen Academy. My parents worked so hard to build this school, and I would like to see it survive for another 40 years."

"I'm glad to be a part of the team." They'd reached Bella's car and she opened up the backseat to put her briefcase in.

"Good. Actually, I really wanted to make sure that you knew about the BBQ at my parent's house this weekend. It's a tradition for the school staff every year. You can bring a date if you want. Dress is casual. Directions and details are posted in the main office."

"I'd love to go. Thanks for letting me know."

"Great. We'll see you on Saturday then. Good night Bella." Emmett gave her a wave and took off at a jog towards the school. Bella couldn't help but smile after him.

"He's a good-looking guy."

Bella jumped at the sound of a voice right behind her. She turned to find Edward Cullen leaning against her Camry.

"Oh! You scared me."

"I wasn't trying to scare you. You must have been too absorbed in your conversation with my brother to notice when I walked past."

Bella didn't like the tone of his voice. He seemed to be implying something, but she wasn't sure what.

"I guess."

"He's married, you know – Emmett. His wife's pregnant. It's probably not a good idea to try and start an affair with him." The friendly face from that morning was gone. It had been replaced with the ice-cold one from the previous day.

"Excuse me? I don't have any interest in Emmett. He's my boss!" Bella was shocked that he could even suggest such a thing. She found that she was hurt, too. If she had been inclined to develop a crush on any Cullen, it would have been on the one standing in front of her. At the moment, though, she just wanted to slap him.

"That hasn't stopped women before. They come to work here, and think that they can get something started with Emmett. I see the appeal. He's good-looking, smart, very friendly."

"Mr. Cullen, I don't know why you would think that I have any interest in your brother, but I can guarantee you that I don't. Now if you don't mind, it's been a long day. I'm going home." Bella was trembling from the fury that she felt in her veins. What was wrong with this guy? He was cold, then hot, then cold again. She couldn't keep up.

She stepped around his sulking form and settled into her car. She made a point of locking the doors while he continued to stare at her menacingly through the windshield.

She wished she had the nerve to peel out of the parking lot on two wheels, but truthfully, she wouldn't have even known how to make her car do that. Instead, she calmly put her car in gear and drove out of the parking lot towards home.

Bella spent the rest of her evening alternating between outrage at Edward, sheer panic at facing her first classroom of students, and exhaustion.

Bella managed to ignore Edward Cullen the next day. She didn't go near the music room or even look his way at their daily meeting. There were no more parking lot encounters or accusations. Bella hoped that it stayed that way. Edward was not a complication that she needed.

Bella already had more than enough complications. Jacob had turned into the biggest one of all. She'd honestly thought that by moving so far away, she'd be out of his realm of influence. Instead, she found herself longing to talk to him, hear his voice, and help him with his problems even more than before.

He'd called her each of the past two nights, and she was now sitting in her apartment on the third night, hoping that he would call again. She knew this wasn't healthy. Jacob wasn't ever going to be available to her for a relationship. She knew that, but it was hard to let the old dream die. Why couldn't he realize how great they'd be together? Their lives would have meshed seamlessly, like a zipper. She could have taught at Forks High, Jacob could have kept working at the garage. They would start a family and spend the rest of their lives together being happy.

The thought of any other future scared Bella. What was in store for her if it wasn't the life of Mrs. Jacob Black? The years seemed to stretch out before her, and she didn't know how to fill them.

She jumped when the phone rang. She both hoped that it was Jacob, and hoped that it wasn't Jacob. God, she was such a mess.

"Hello?"

"Bells! How's my favorite girl?"

If only that were true.

"Hi Jacob. I'm glad you called."

"Miss me? I know you do. Did that Edwin guy give you any more problems today? You make sure he knows that I'm just a phone call and several states away if you need someone to stick up for you." She could hear his laughter at his own joke through the phone. It was endearing that he remembered their conversation about Edward, and she was impressed enough that she forgave him for getting the jerk's name wrong.

"His name's Edward. Fortunately, he seems to be ignoring me now that he's accused me of being hot for his brother."

"Good. Jerks like that don't deserve any of your attention. Just keep out of his way. Are you nervous about tomorrow?"

"A little. It's so different from Fork's High, Jacob. Everything is so much more intense. The staff, the texts, the expectation. I'm not sure that…"

"Hey, that's great Bells. I'm sure you'll do fine." Bella could hear the game on in the background and knew that she'd lost him. She tried not to let the disappointment in his brush-off dig in too deep.

"I've got to go, Jacob. Tell Charlie I said hi."

"Sure thing. Later."

Bella sighed and hung up the phone. Some things never changed.

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary: Devastated by an unrequited crush, Bella Swan escapes her troubles and moves to Chicago to teach at a prestigious prep school. Mysterious and sexy Edward Cullen can't seem to make up his mind how he feels about his new colleague. As Bella settles into her own life, she discovers that Edward may be keeping secrets of his own. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer. **

It was the end of the first day of school, and Bella was wondering why she had ever wanted to become a teacher. She felt like she'd been through the wringer. An endless stream of teenagers had paraded through her classroom, and the students were very different from the population of Forks High School. That's not to say that Cullen Academy's students were any better or worse. They were just a different breed.

Most of the students came from wealthier families than those found in Forks. That didn't make them any smarter or better behaved. Most of them did seem to have drive, ambition, and the need to do their very best. Bella had seen some of those same qualities in many of her classmates back home, but the population of Cullen Academy seemed to be full of them. At the end of the day, Bella hoped that she could find something to teach her group of freshmen this year. She felt as if they had far more to teach her.

When she had rested her head on her desk, Bella only meant to close her eyes for a brief moment before packing up and heading home. She was surprised to feel a set of small fingers grasping her shoulder moments later shaking her – hard.

"Miss Swan? Bella?" The size of the voice matched the small hand, and Bella turned towards it expecting to see one of her students standing there. Instead, she found a small woman who was clearly closer to her own age than one of the teenagers. Her short black hair stood up at all angles and her dark eyes smiled at her in a friendly manner. Bella continued to stare at her, wondering if she was dreaming or if the woman's eyes actually sparkled for real.

The woman tilted her head to the side, almost like a puppy would when it was confused.

"I'd say I was sorry that I woke you, but I could hear your snores all the way down the hall, and it's almost 4:00 so I thought you'd want to head home soon."

"Are you kidding?" Bella jumped up and looked around her classroom frantically. The clock on her wall backed up the woman's claims. Bella looked at her, feeling the blush burn across her face. "I was snoring?"

"Yeah. I'd want someone to tell me if I was making noises like that."

Bella couldn't argue with her logic.

"Well, thanks. Do you work here?"

"Crap, I forgot we haven't been introduced yet. Emmett's been talking about you for weeks so I feel like we're already friends. I'm Alice Whitlock. I'm the senior guidance counselor."

Bella shook her offered hand and decided that she would like to add another friend to her small, but growing, list.

"It's nice to meet you. I'd better get going. I was going to hit the furniture store tonight, but now I won't have time. At least I got some sleep in though."

"If you need help picking furniture out, let me know. I totally cream for the Home and Garden channel. I would be such a help."

"Thanks. That would be great, actually. This is my first apartment and I'm feeling a little lost. I have bedroom furniture and that's it."

"Let's go grab some drinks and we'll discuss colors."

Bella liked this girl. There was something so free and happy about her, and it was contagious.

"Can I meet you downstairs in 15 minutes? My nap was not planned and I need to finish up a few things here first."

"Absolutely! I'll meet you out front."

Bella finished up her things for the day and packed up her bag. On her way out, she noticed that the light was still on in Emmett's office. Her conversation with Alice had left her feeling confident, so she decided to stop by and speak with Emmett briefly.

She tapped on his door lightly, and peered in, expecting to see her happy-go-lucky boss in his large leather chair. Instead, she found his grumpy, moody, younger brother standing over his desk.

"Oh. I thought you were Emmett. Sorry." Bella turned to quickly exit the office. There was no sense in spending any more time with Edward than necessary.

"You don't have to go. He should be right back."

Bella hesitated in the doorway. She'd been avoiding Edward for the past two days and didn't want to wait in Emmett's office with him for any length of time.

"I won't bite," Edward sighed at her.

Bella tried not to take his words as a dare and entered the office anyway.

"You're working late tonight."

"Yes." Bella felt that the shorter her responses, the less likely he would be to want to talk to her. She was wrong.

"Did you have a good first day?"

"Yes."

"Is my brother expecting you?"

"What do you mean by that?" Bella turned and glared at him. She knew there was fire in her eyes and she didn't try and hide it. This man was pushing her past her limit.

"It's late. Just wondering why you're still hanging around the school. Everyone else is gone. Were you hoping for a private meeting with Emmett?"

Bella was tired of his insinuations and was getting ready to give the music teacher some notes to shove up his horn when Emmett came barreling into the room.

"Hey, you're here. Great." From the way that Edward's eyes bugged out of his head, it was clear that he thought that Emmett was talking to Bella, as if she and Emmett had actually set up a secret rendezvous after school.

It was clear to Bella that her presence in the room hadn't even been noted yet and Emmett was actually speaking to his brother.

They were both surprised when Emmett plopped into his chair and finished the conversation he'd been having on his cell phone. He flipped the phone closed and looked up to find his brother and the new English teacher in his office.

"Hey, you two. What's up?"

Edward glared first at his brother, then at Bella, and stormed out of the office. Bella could only stare after him.

"Bella? What's going on?" Friendly Emmett had been replaced with I'm your Boss Emmett.

"I wish I knew. I came by to tell you how much I enjoyed my first day. Edward was in here and seemed to be implying that you and I…" Bella was too embarrassed to finish her sentence. Edward's assumptions were so off base and out of line.

Emmett sighed and sat back in his chair.

"I apologize for his behavior. Edward's had a rough couple of years and he's become very protective of the family. This, however, is crossing the line. I'll speak to him. He won't bother you again."

"Please, don't. I don't mean to cause any problems between the two of you. I just don't know how to fix it or make him understand that he's making these horrible assumptions."

"Bella, I'll take care of it. Believe me – it's not you. It's him. A cliché, but very true in this case. He won't bother you again. So, I want to hear about your first day."

"Really?" Bella felt so small next to Emmett, she couldn't help feeling like a child wanting to share an accomplishment with her father.

"You bet. Did either of the Phelps twins give you trouble? Their older brother's been a handful."

Bella couldn't stop the smile in remembrance of the twins' attempted, but failed, prank. She had earned their respect by showing them the proper way to make the silly string spray on its own. She only hoped that she would be rewarded and they would keep their pranks for their other teachers….especially their music teacher.

"I'm pretty sure I won't be having any problems with them this year."

Emmett's eyebrows shot up in surprise but before he could say anything there was a knock on the door and a woman let herself in.

Bella turned and found a tall, blonde, woman who could only be Emmett's wife. She was exceedingly pregnant and looked miserable. Emmett hopped up out of his chair, led the woman around the desk, and delicately eased her into his vacated seat.

"Babe, I told you I'd be right out."

"Emmett, your child's been kicking my bladder for the past half hour. I couldn't wait any longer."

Bella cringed when she looked at the clock. She didn't realize how long she'd been sitting with Emmett.

"I should go." She stood up and turned to leave.

"Wait, let me introduce you to my wife first. Rosie, this is Bella Swan, the new English teacher. Bella, this is my wife Rosalie."

Bella shook the woman's hand and watched the way that Emmett stared at his wife in love and reverence. Bella couldn't believe that any woman thought that she would be able to get this man away from his wife. He was clearly head over heels, and his wife was an Amazon Goddess.

Bella told them good night and went outside to find her new friend, Alice. She felt guilty for taking so long but was happy to find that her new friend was waiting outside the front door for her, as promised. As they walked towards Bella's car, neither noticed the man with the bronze hair watching them from behind one of the columns supporting the portico.

* * *

Edward Cullen kicked the small pebbles at his feet and turned to head back into the school. He was angry with himself. He was angry with his brother. Most of all, he was angry with Bella Swan. He didn't know what she was up to, but he was going to find out. She had some motive for being here.

No one moved across the country to teach high school English. She was probably working undercover for the Chicago Journal. They'd been the most persistent about trying to get an interview with him after "the incident." No way was he going to talk about that to anyone. This was like some bad sequel to that Drew Barrymore movie. Shit – what was it called? _Never Been Kissed_ or something. He only remembered it because a date had dragged him to see it. He'd managed to get to second base for the very first time that night. Momentous occasion indeed.

Edward's reverie was broken by the booming voice of his older brother.

"Edward! Get in here! I want to talk to you."

Emmett was using his "I'm the boss" voice and that only made him angrier. Who the hell put him in charge? Right, that would have been his parents.

Edward shuffled into his brother's office, hoping that this would be quick. The beginning of a melody had just popped into his head and he wanted to get to his piano so he could work it out.

He was happy to find that the English teacher had been replaced by Rosalie. He hoped the temptress got a good look at the wife and would leave his brother alone from now on.

His brother started yelling as soon as he put both feet in the office.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Do you have any idea how hard I worked to get Bella Swan to accept a position here? She had offers from twelve other schools! Twelve! I've never seen another teacher with her brains, compassion and excitement, especially at such a young age. She's exactly the kind of teacher I want to fill this school. So, what do you do? You accuse her of trying to have an affair with me! We're lucky she hasn't fled the state and gone back home to her dad in Forks."

Edward had the decency to cringe and look remorseful.

"I was just trying to protect you. Look, she's got to have something up her sleeve. Who moves away from their family for a teaching job? If she had twelve other offers, she could have easily taken any of those. Why would she take a job so far away from her family?"

"I don't know why and I don't care. I care that she's here and doing a good job, so far. It's up to us to make sure she stays. That means that she needs to be happy. Edward, I need you to make her happy."

Edward looked his brother in the eye, afraid that his scared and hurt was showing though.

"I don't know if I can do that. I don't trust her."

Emmett ran one of his large hands across his face.

"Edward, I know you're having a hard time re-adjusting. We've really missed having you here these past two years. If you want to stay, I need you to try harder. Don't leave your baggage out for Bella to trip over. That has nothing to do with her. You know I ran a full background check on her and she's legit. She's not here to get the story of the decade. She's here to teach English, God help her, to a bunch of hormonal 14 and 15 year olds. She's all alone, trying to make new friends, figure out a new job and settle into a new home. You are making her life crappy. Stop making crap."

Just as Emmett no doubt planned, Edward felt like the asshole his brother made him sound to be. What Emmett said made sense, but Edward couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about Bella Swan.

"Fine. You're right. I'm a dick. I'll stop acting like one."

Emmett sighed and helped Rosalie out of the chair.

"Thank you."

"Do you want to come over for dinner?" Rosalie spoke for the first time since she sat down. Edward half-thought she must have been asleep. Rosalie was not known for keeping her opinions to herself, and he was sure that she would have an opinion on Edward Cullen, Douchebag Extraordinaire.

Edward was tempted to say yes, but that melody kept bouncing around his head and he was anxious to do something about it.

"No. I have some things to do. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Edward headed to his music room at the back of the school, hoping to put Bella Swan out of his head for the rest of the night.

* * *

The Purple Cat didn't sound like a bar, or look like one from the outside. It was located in a strip mall, not far from Alice's home on the east side of the lake. The storefront windows were frosted over and there weren't any glowing neon beer signs calling to the masses. A simple non-neon sign announced the name of the bar, and a bell jingled as they entered.

Inside, the bar seemed like the ones that Bella had occasionally entered back in Forks, usually looking for Jacob when he needed a ride home. A long dark bar graced one wall and several stools were pulled up to it, about half of which had occupants. Several small tables littered the floor and booths crowded the perimeter. It was dark and smoky and Bella couldn't wait to go home to call Jacob and tell him all about it. Bella mentally smacked herself for thinking about Jacob. She'd been trying not to think about him so much during the day. Today she'd done pretty well; mostly because she'd been too busy teaching. This was only the tenth time his name had crossed her thoughts. The night was young though.

Alice claimed to be a regular, but Bella had a hard time picturing her here, ever. The waitress who took their order knew her by name, so Bella left her doubt behind and followed Alice's lead.

They clinked their beer bottles after they came and Bella choked down a swallow of the bitter brew.

"Alice, I've never had a beer before. I'm not sure that I like it."

Alice looked at her in wonder.

"You did go to college, right?"

Bella laughed and pushed the bottle away.

"Yeah, but it was a community college and I lived with my dad the whole time. Plus, Charlie's a recovering alcoholic so beer was pretty much taboo in the house."

"Crap, Bella, you should have told me earlier. We could have gone somewhere else. The diner, or to get our nails done, or the mall over in Sheffield." Alice's eyes sparkled at the mention of the mall.

"Alice, this is fine. I was curious. The only time I've been inside a bar was to drag Jacob home. I've never actually been a patron. Time to start living large."

Alice finished her beer and picked up Bella's.

"Who's Jacob?"

Bella blushed and paused. "He's a friend back in Forks. My best friend, really."

"Boyfriend?"

"No." For some reason, Bella felt like she could trust Alice with anything and everything. She'd never met anyone who made her want to spill all her innermost secrets. She figured that the best way to figure out the Jacob situation was to talk it over with someone. Alice seemed like the perfect candidate.

"Can I tell you something? Just between the two of us?"

Alice scooted her chair closer. "You bet. I'm great at keeping secrets."

"Jacob's the reason I moved here. I've been in love with him for years, but he's a man whore and I couldn't take it anymore. I kept thinking that if I gave him time to grow up, he'd realize that I'd been waiting for him the whole time."

Alice finished Bella's beer, and signaled their waitress for another. She was so small – Bella wondered why she didn't seem the least bit drunk.

"What happened?"

"I told him about the job offer from Cullen Academy, and he told me to take it."

"Sounds like good advice to me."

"It was – is – but it was like he was telling me to stop waiting for him. Like he knew that I'd been hoping all these years that he would stop being just my friend and be something more. Like he was telling me that dream was never going to happen. It crushed me. I couldn't stand to be near him after that. I took this job because it was the farthest that I could get away from Jacob."

"And how's that been working out for you?"

Bella snorted. "Fantastic. He calls me every night to ask about my day. We talk for ten minutes, he gets distracted by the TV and we hang up. It's like I never left. Every day, at 7:30 sharp, I sit by my phone waiting for his phone call. It's so pathetic. I'm so pathetic."

"Bella, what we need is a plan. You're right. This pattern is pretty self-destructive, but I think that we can work something out to stop the vicious circle. You should come home with me, and we'll get started on the grope."

Bella was confused. Did her newest friend just ask her home so they could grope each other? Bella sifted through several scenarios in her head that would get her to her own grope-free apartment as soon as possible.

"Grope?"

"Get Rid of Jacob Plan. G-R-O-J-P. Jasper should be home by now. He'll cook us a delicious dinner and then we'll solve all your problems."

Bella hoped her relief didn't show too clearly.

"Alice, are you sure? I don't mean to dump all over you and take up your whole evening."

"Don't worry about it. Besides, Jasper will love the company. He spends his day with a bunch of sweaty boys. He'll be ravenous for female company by now."

"At least let me pay for the drinks." Bella looked at the table and gasped at the number of empty bottles. She counted six.

"Um…Alice, do you always drink this much?" Bella didn't want to offend her new friend, but she was curious about the number of empty bottles.

"Bella, dearest, I have a hollow leg. I may be small, but I grew up next door to Emmett Cullen who taught me how to drink with the best of them. Come on, let's go."

Bella drove them to Alice's home, which turned out to be a modest cottage-type on the other end of the lake. The outside was painted a pale yellow and the shutters were a bright white. The flowers that had bloomed over the summer were still hanging on, even though the threat of an early fall frost loomed every night.

"Alice, it's beautiful."

Alice beamed with pride.

"Thanks. Jasper's really good with his hands. He's put a ton of work into the house. He even built an addition onto the back this past year."

Alice led Bella into the house, and was immediately picked up and swung around by a blonde giant.

"Baby, I missed you." The man planted several wet kisses on Alice's neck that made her giggle in response. When her eyes began to roll back into her head, Bella coughed politely. The giant lifted his head and noticed her for the first time.

Alice made the introductions and Bella found herself immediately wrapped in a bear hug similar to the once Alice received. If he started kissing her neck, she was so going to beat it. Fortunately, Jasper quickly set her on her feet, neck untouched.

"I'm making tacos. That cool?"

Bella and Alice followed him into the kitchen and Bella breathed in the wonderful smells of Mexican food.

"Hmm…I haven't had good tacos in years. My mom lived in Phoenix for a while, and there was this awesome Taquería down the street. So good."

"You're in luck. Jasper grew up in Texas and makes some mean Mexican food."

"Bella, I hope you like it hot."

Bella smiled. She really liked these two, and could only hope that the feeling was mutual.

"The hotter the better."

After dinner, Alice filled Jasper in on the GROJP.

Jasper shot his wife a look and turned to Bella.

"Are you sure this is what you want? Have you tried just telling the fool what you want from him?"

Bella and Alice stared at him, mouths agape and eyes wide.

Bella recovered first.

"Why would I do that?"

"How else is he going to know that you like him?"

Bella turned to Alice for help. Clearly, her husband wasn't the relationship guru that she thought he was.

"Sweetie, she's done everything right. The man would have to be a complete moron not to realize how Bella feels. Jasper, concentrate. We need a plan to help Bella move forward."

"Fine. To begin with, maybe you shouldn't talk to him everyday."

Bella shot up off the sofa. She frantically looked at her watch and realized that it was 10:00.

"Crap! I missed his call. I've got to go."

Bella gathered her things, and waved quickly to her hosts before bolting out the door.

Jasper looked at his wife and cocked an eyebrow.

"She's not ready for GROJP."

Alice sighed and cuddled into her husband's side.

"I know. But she will be."

**Thanks for reading! Please review! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer. **

It was early in the morning. Bella could tell because it was still dark outside. Much too early for her to be awake. Bella sifted through her sleep-deprived brain, looking for the source of her wakeful state. She'd been dreaming, but it hadn't been a scary dream. It had actually been quite pleasant, full of sunshine and light and a warm breeze. Bella didn't like being woken from the dream. She squinted at the alarm clock next to the bed, and it was definitely too early to be awake. She had another hour before she had to get up. It was then that she heard the knocking sound again, coming from the direction of her front door. Bella tried to hide under her pillow and will the intruder away. Just as she was congratulating herself on her ability to bend others to her will, she heard her name being called softly.

"Bella." It sounded like it was coming from her living room. Bella shot up out of bed and looked around her room frantically for a weapon. Whoever was out there had broken in and Bella was terrified.

The best weapon she could find was her lamp. She wrapped the cord around her hand so she wouldn't trip on it and inched her way down the hallway. She was thankful for once for the dark. She usually slept with a light on somewhere in the apartment, but apparently she'd forgotten to turn one on before crawling into her bed late last night after her phone call with Jacob.

Bella paused at the door to the living room, listening for shuffling feet across her carpet. She was met with silence. Just as she straightened up to flick on the light, she heard her name being called again.

"Bella." This time, it came from right in front of her. Bella steeled her grip on the lamp and flicked the light switch quickly.

"Holy Mother!" Bella jumped about ten feet when she found the source of the breaking and entering. Her friend from the fitness center, Jessica, was standing in her living room blinking away the brightness of the light.

"How did you get in here?" Bella was crossing this girl off the friend list immediately. It looked like she was back to one friend in the state of Illinois.

"Bella, you haven't been to work out in days. I was worried."

Bella set the lamp down and stared at the girl in front of her.

"Seriously? That's why you broke into my apartment? You've been worried about my health?"

"No. Well, yes, but that's not why I'm here. And I didn't break in. The guy in the office is a friend of mine, and when I explained that you'd gone missing, he was concerned too so he gave me the spare key to your place so I could check on you."

"Jessica, you realize that's really creepy, right? I haven't been missing. I've been at work." Bella made a mental note to change her locks immediately. What kind of place had she moved into that gave out spare keys?

"And now you're mad at me. I'm sorry Bella. I was hoping we could be work-out buddies but then you disappeared and I didn't know what to do."

"You could have called me."

"You didn't give me your number." Bella wasn't anxious to give it to her now, but her heart softened when she realized how lonely Jessica actually was.

"Ok, look, I'd like to be work-out buddies too, but no more breaking into my apartment. I'll give you my number and we'll set up a time to go work out." Bella was pushing Jessica towards the door with thoughts of crawling back into her bed.

"Bella, it has to be this morning. I haven't had cardio in three days and I can feel the fat clinging to my thighs," Jessica whined. This did not endear her to Bella, but she didn't have the courage to tell Jessica that she needed to hold onto her imaginary fat for one more day.

"Alright, alright. But you owe me – big time."

Jessica's head bobbed up and down. "Yes, yes. Anything. Please get dressed. I have all sorts of things to tell you."

Bella grudgingly pulled out her shorts and t-shirt and followed Jessica to the fitness center. Jessica talked the whole way, but none of the conversation required a response from Bella. This was good because she wasn't capable of any more conversation at this hour of the morning.

They hit the treadmills again and had the room to themselves until the same older man who'd been there the first day came in. He nodded to them and climbed on to the elliptical machine. He had i-pod earphones in his ears, which surprised Bella. Her own dad had no idea that i-pods even existed, and this man had at least twenty years on him. She shrugged and continued her run, listening to Jessica. At least they didn't have to worry about their neighbor listening to their conversation.

As they stretched, Bella filled Jessica in on her first days at Cullen Academy. She left out the parts about Edward though. Repeating his ridiculousness would only add power to his words. Bella didn't want to give him any power at all.

Jessica told her about her own job at the bank and the men she'd been dating recently. She seemed to date a lot. Well, compared to Bella anyway.

Two hours later, Bella pulled into the school parking lot, cursing Jessica. Their impromptu work-out had made her late to school and she would be lucky to get into her classroom just as first period was due to start.

"Crap, crap crap," Bella muttered to herself as she ran up the steps and through the front door. She hated to run through the halls considering her own tendency to trip and the school's strict "no running through the halls" policy, but she was desperate. Of course, this would be the morning that she would careen around the corner and straight into the arms of Edward Cullen.

Edward grunted as he grabbed onto her arms to steady her and stop her imminent fall to the floor.

"Easy there, Swan. You've still got five minutes until first bell." He chuckled in her ear as she shook him off and righted her clothes.

"Thanks." Bella glared at him, waiting for the accusations to begin.

"Late night?" He stared at the bags under her eyes.

"Yes. But that's not why I'm late. Look, can you please let me by? I need to get to class." She felt like she was asking permission from the school bully, which might not have been too far from the truth.

Edward stepped to the side and watched as she scurried past and towards her classroom at top speed.

"Have a nice day," she heard him call softly after her.

Six and a half hours later, Bella was cleaning up her room and getting ready for the long weekend. Labor Day was the following Monday, and Bella had a lot of plans for the weekend. She was definitely going furniture shopping, and hopefully making a trip to Target. She'd never realized how much stuff you needed when you first settled into your own place. Every day, she found something else to add to her list. Yesterday morning, it had been a mop after she'd spilled milk on the kitchen floor. She would probably think of five more things just on the drive home.

Bella made her way down to the first floor, and started wandering in search of the guidance department. She wanted to ask Alice to help her with her shopping trip, but hadn't gotten her number the evening before. Bella tried the hallway that housed the main office first, but came up empty. She tried two other wings before she ventured through the library towards the music room. This area of the school made her nervous. Bella didn't want to chance another strange encounter with Edward, but she did want to find Alice before she took off for the weekend.

Bella walked quickly past the music room, happy to see it dark and empty. She walked to the end of the hallway but only found more empty classrooms and nothing that looked like a guidance counselor's domain. She scurried past the music room again and made her way through the library.

Bella took a moment to breathe in the books and the peace of the library. During the day, it was a busy place. She'd brought her first period class down the day before in preparation for their first term paper. They had been the only class there, but students and faculty passed through it constantly. Now, with most of the students and staff gone, the cavernous room was silent.

Bella breathed deep and opened her eyes. Edward was leaning against the row of books immediately in front of her. Bella blushed at being caught in her private moment.

"What were you doing just now?" Edward looked the same as he had the night before when he'd accused her of being an adulterer, but today his whole demeanor had changed. He looked more relaxed and friendly than she'd seen him. The change confused Bella and she wasn't sure that she could trust him with the truth.

She sighed and went with her gut. The truth hadn't failed her yet.

"Smelling the books. Have you ever noticed how nice books smell? Even the older ones. You can almost feel the journey that each book has taken. Library books smell the best. They make so many trips from a library, to someone's home, their job, the bus, who knows where? Then, they come back to the library and start all over. I don't know – they just smell good after a while."

"I pass through here every day, but I've never really noticed their smell. I actually don't pay much attention to them."

"You should. Do you read at all?"

Edward laughed.

"I know how to read."

"You know what I mean."

"No, I don't spend much free time reading."

"What do you do then?"

"Do?"

"You know – for fun."

"Reading is fun?"

"God, yes. Books make me laugh and cry. They teach me things and make me question my own assumptions. Some books are like friends. You grow attached to the characters and hate to see their stories come to a close."

"I'm a musician."

Bella nodded at him in encouragement to continue.

"That's what I do for fun. I play and write and listen. All those reasons you just named for liking your books? I can apply them all to music."

Bella smiled and looked at Edward as if she was seeing him for the first time.

"See? We're not so different after all."

"You may be right."

Bella really wanted to like Edward, especially since his brother was so easy to like. She could only hope that their precarious truce would last longer than 15 minutes this time.

"I was actually looking for the guidance counselor offices? I wanted to find Alice Whitlock before she went home for the weekend."

Edward straightened up and motioned for Bella to follow him.

"Have you been looking for a while?"

"Not too long. I was going to try upstairs but that didn't make any sense."

"Don't bother asking any of the students where anything is around here. They'll all tell you that it's next to the pool on the fourth floor."

"Fourth floor? I thought there were only three floors."

"Exactly. And the pool is the one amenity that Cullen Academy hasn't built yet, but it's been scheduled for next year."

Like Emmett, Edward had long legs and Bella struggled to keep up with his long strides. She was surprised when they busted through the side door at the end of his wing and started towards one of the several small buildings set to the side of the school.

"Ah…that would have been a fun trick. Watch the new teacher ask around for the stairs to the fourth floor and the pool."

"Yep. Anyway, the guidance offices are out here in the Grady Building. Emmett moved them here a couple years ago. Something about the flow being better for guiding young minds. Emmett's a hippie at heart. He's the one to talk to about books. He reads all the time, though it's mostly professional journals and books about how to communicate effectively with the modern teenager."

Edward opened the door to the building for her, and Bella stumbled over the doorstep and into a small outer office. This room was more outdated than the main building. The carpeting was yellow and frayed, and the walls were covered in wood paneling. This was the type of school building that Bella had grown up with in Forks. A few metal office chairs lined one of the walls and an old, scarred desk took up the other. A short hallway led to four more doors, one of which was open. Light poured out onto the carpet and Bella could hear the click clack of a keyboard.

"Looks like Alice is still here. Come on back."

Edward led the way to what Bella assumed was Alice's office.

Before they reached the door, Alice had rolled out into the hallway in her chair.

"I knew you'd find me."

Bella looked between Edward and Alice, slightly bewildered.

"What do you mean?"

"I knew that if I left you alone, you'd come hunt me down. I'm so glad you passed friend test number one. I had almost given up hope."

Bella laughed and looked to Edward to see if he was following the conversation any better than she was. He just shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes.

"Do you test all your potential friends?"

"Yes," Edward finally spoke up.

Alice playfully punched him in the arm.

"I do not."

"Bella, Alice moved next door to us when we were about 12 years old. I've seen all sorts of girls come and go through Alice's life. Only the strong survive. The whole process is like a fun house – you know, one of those places at the fair where there are all sorts of obstacles and goofy mirrors and unexpected surprises? Being Alice's friend is pretty much just like that. You go in thinking 'This might be fun,' then you get all jostled and turned around, and don't get me wrong, you're laughing and having and good time while you're there, but it's awful confusing and sometimes dark. Then, before you know it, Bam! You're exiting the building, scratching your head and wondering what the hell happened. Then, it's up to you to decide whether or not to buy another ticket and try it again."

"Thanks, Edward, really, for that stunning endorsement." The smile on Alice's face countered the harshness of her comment.

"My pleasure."

What Edward did next stunned the hell out of Bella. He smiled. Not a little half-smile that never reached his eyes. Not a sarcastic smile where you knew that he was mocking you. This smile had teeth and laugh lines and changed his whole face. His eyes opened up and his cheeks lifted and it was the most beautiful sight that Bella had ever seen. His green eyes sparkled and she noticed that his eyebrows were just a shade darker than the mop of hair on his head. His eyelashes were much too long for a man, and she felt a flash of jealousy.

He wasn't looking at her, which saddened and delighted her at the same time. His smile was for Alice, which made her sad because he never smiled at her like that and she still couldn't figure out why he seemed to want to dislike her so much. At the same time, it gave her the opportunity to gaze at his features that much longer. If he had actually been looking at her, she wouldn't have been able to take such notice of his features.

Bella heard a little cough, and turned to find Alice staring at her. Alice narrowed her eyes and flicked them between her and Edward in question. Bella almost gasped out loud in horror at what Alice seemed to be suggesting and she shook her head in denial a little too vigorously. Bella had no real interest in Edward. He was rude, presumptuous, and just plain mean.

Bella snapped out of whatever alternate universe she'd visited and remembered her reason for hunting Alice down.

"So, are you up for a trip to Target this weekend? I have a list of things to get for my apartment and I was hoping you…"

"Yes, absolutely, yes. I have so many good ideas! Do you want to go before or after the Cullen's BBQ?"

"Cullen's BBQ?" Bella looked at Edward, who seemed to be waiting for her response.

"Bella, you haven't forgotten already? The back to school BBQ for the staff is tomorrow. You are going, right? Did you pick up the handout with the time and directions?"

Bella shook her head and Alice didn't look surprised.

"That's ok. You can ride with me and Jasper. Unless, you had someone you wanted to bring?"

Alice knew good and well that she didn't have anyone to bring to a work-related function. If Jacob was close by, she would probably ask him to go to keep her company. Bella shook that thought away immediately. She needed to stop thinking of Jacob as her go-to guy. Jacob wasn't here. Jacob didn't want to be her any kind of guy.

"No, just me."

"Great! Well, Edward, thanks for showing Bella the way. I'm ready to head home. I have a feeling that we're having steaks tonight."

"I'll walk you to your cars." Edward seemed reluctant to leave. He must really like Alice, because he was usually anxious to get far away from Bella.

"No need. I'm packing 50,000 volts." Alice patted her shoulder bag lovingly.

"Seriously? You have a taser?" Bella really wasn't that surprised. It made sense for someone as small as Alice to carry protection, and a taser seemed like a good choice of weapon.

"What's ironic is that she doesn't need it. Alice takes a kickboxing class and could probably kick some serious ass if needed."

Bella's eyes lit up. "You didn't tell me you work out! We should go together some time. Is it close by?"

Alice glared at Edward before turning back to Bella.

"I actually haven't been to class for a couple weeks. Doctor's orders. Come on, let's get going. I can practically smell my steaks cooking from here."

Bella noticed her quick change in topic but was too distracted by the thought of a home-cooked steak dinner to ask any further questions. Bella wondered if she could wrangle another dinner invitation without intruding on the couple's alone time.

Edward walked them both to their cars, ignoring Alice's request for a quick taser demonstration for Bella. Their cars were conveniently parked next to one another, and they were still standing in the parking lot chatting as they watched Edward lope over to a silver Volvo parked at the other end of the lot.

"He's a good-looking guy."

Alice's words mimicked Edward's mocking ones from just a few days ago. Bella's shoulders tensed and she turned back to her friend.

"He doesn't like me."

"Right," Alice snorted.

"Have you really known him since you were kids?" For a moment, Alice seemed to give her the same look that Emmett had given her on her first day, when she'd asked about his brother. The look was part surprise, part suspicion. It made Bella uncomfortable. She was still trying to sort out whether her questions had crossed over into too much nosy and not enough curious when Alice blinked the look away.

"Yeah. He was the first friend that I made when we moved here. Bella, I don't know what you know, but Edward's had a hard time these past couple years. He's just starting to act like himself again. He may act like a jerk sometimes, but give him a chance. That's not him."

Bella was skeptical. True, Edward had actually managed to act like a human being today for the first time since they'd met. It wasn't enough to erase the hurt and embarrassment of everything else he'd done to her so far. Not yet, anyway.

"I'll try Alice, but he's been very…unpleasant to me."

"You'll see tomorrow. He's completely different around his family. His parents adore him and I've never seen him act rudely in front of his mother. I have a feeling you're going to meet the real Edward Cullen tomorrow."

"I hope so. So, what does one wear to the annual back to school Cullen BBQ?"

Alice's face lit up and she opened her car door.

She pulled out her cell phone and spoke to Bella while it was ringing.

"You are well on your way to passing friend test number two."

Bella had a brief moment of panic at the feral look in Alice's eye.

"Baby – it's me. You'd better put my steak in fridge. I'll be home late tonight."

Alice clicked her phone shut and motioned for Bella to get into her own car.

"Alright, Bella my dear. Lead the way. Let's see what creations await us in your closet."

* * *

Three hours, a pint of Chunky Monkey, a box of tissues, and repeated taser threats later, Alice had found the perfect outfit for Bella to wear to the BBQ.

Bella refused to wear it.

"Alice, I'm not a hooker. I'm not wearing a skirt that fit me in the 8th grade and is now so short that everyone will know what kind of underwear I have on."

"You should have thrown it away then if it's too short," Alice huffed at her. She looked around at the piles of clothes and boxes strewn around Bella's room. "Do you ever throw anything away? Is that a flannel shirt?"

Bella plucked the garment out of Alice's hand before it landed in the trash can like several of her other favorite shirts had.

"Everyone wears this kind of shirt back home. It's cold and damp in Forks. The flannel keeps us warm."

"Bella, that's what a man is for. Flannel shirts should not be sold to the public. I'm not actually sure that anyone should be allowed to wear them at all."

"Alice Whitlock, I had no idea that you were such a snob."

"Just about clothes," Alice sniffed.

"If not the denim skirt, then how about the pink shorts?"

"Alice, I'm not so sure that I want to dress so casually in front of my boss and all my co-workers. I'd be more comfortable in capris."

Alice gasped in mock horror. "Capris? Out in public? You probably want to wear your Crocs with them too?"

"I usually do…" Bella wasn't so sure that the look of horror on Alice's face was pretend after all.

"I am so glad you found me. I have so much to teach you."

"I admit that I don't know much about fashion, but I'm not ready to audition for _America's Next Top Model_ either. Please don't make me look like a hooker or one of my students."

"Bella – you will be gorgeous."

They finally agreed on a knee-length skirt and tank top. Labor Day weekend usually brought a chill to the air surrounding the great lakes, but the weatherman had promised hot and blistery this year. Bella thanked her friend profusely when she left and promised to be ready at 2 when she and Jasper came to pick her up.

Bella sighed at the mess they had created of her room and closet. True, she had needed to unpack those boxes but she had imagined the process being a bit more orderly. Bella gave up on it an hour later and headed to the kitchen to find some food.

She had just popped an Easy Mac into the microwave when her phone rang. Sure enough, it was 7:30 and time for Jacob's call. Bella patted down the excitement at hearing his voice and tried to sound normal when she answered the phone.

"Hey Bells! I've got big news!"

"What's that?" Bella took her dinner out of the microwave, trying not to burn herself on the steam coming out the top.

"Sam wants to open another shop in Port Angeles and guess who he asked to be manager?"

"Jacob, that's great news! Congrats!"

"Thanks! Man, this is so awesome. I'm getting a pay raise and I get to hire all the mechanics and staff. I'm nervous about that part of it, but it comes with the territory, right?"

"I am so proud of you. What did Dad say when you told him?"

"Charlie? Well, I haven't seen him today but I'll try calling over there later."

Bella paused. "Didn't you have dinner with him today?"

"Bells, we stopped having dinner together as soon as you left. You know that neither of us can cook. What do two guys know about making dinner? I've seen your dad at the diner a couple times and I've just been grabbing something with Sam and Emily."

Bella sat down with her own sad cup of mac and cheese. Truthfully, she hadn't been cooking at all since she left and she hadn't realized until that moment how much she missed the tradition of it. Making up the menus, shopping for the ingredients, doubling the recipe so there would be enough food for both her guys. She liked taking care of them and liked feeling needed.

"Bells? Are you still there?"

"Yeah, Jake, I just didn't think. I thought you and dad would keep hanging out." Crap – Bella thought to herself – I've ruined everything.

"I still see him, Bells. Don't be sad. He came by the garage the other day to shit around about the game. He doesn't seem lonely."

Oh, God, she'd never thought about how she was leaving her father all alone. He didn't have anybody now. No one to make sure that he was eating, or wearing clean clothes or not running over the neighbor's bike when he left it on the driveway behind the cruiser.

What had she done?

"You haven't done anything. Bella, are you crying?"

She was. She hadn't realized that she'd spoken aloud either. What kind of daughter was she? She was beyond selfish. She'd left her dad to die all alone in that tiny little town just so she could avoid a little heartache. Here she was, not avoiding any heartache and her dad was _lonely_.

"Jake, I've got to come home," she sniffed into the home.

"What? Bella, you've only been there a couple days. You can't come home yet."

"But my dad needs me," she all but wailed into the phone.

"Please stop crying. You know I hate it when you cry. Look, give your dad a call. He's fine – I promise."

His suggestion actually made sense and she told him so.

"See? Don't give up yet on Chicago. You've still got to show that Ethan guy that he can't mess with you."

"Edward," Bella quietly corrected him.

"Right. So, call your dad and I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Oh, probably not tomorrow. The Cullens are hosting a staff BBQ and I'll probably be gone all day."

Bella was met with silence and she wondered if she'd lost the call.

"Jake?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Well, have fun at the BBQ. Bye."

"Bye," Bella said quietly but Jacob had already hung up.

Bella was curious about Jacob's abrupt end to their call, but her dad was the more pressing need at the moment. She quickly dialed home and waited for him to pick up. The phone rang several times, much longer than it would have if Charlie had been sitting on the sofa watching TV as Bella expected him to be.

Their phone had never ceased to amaze the few outsiders who wandered into their home. While the rest of the world welcomed technology into their lives and homes, Charlie was still using the same rotary phone that his parents had kept in their kitchen. It was yellow, faded with time, and shaped like a shoe box. It had hung on the wall next to the refrigerator for as long as Bella could remember. She'd once suggested buying a newer model with a built in answering machine and caller id, but Charlie had shrugged it off. "Nothing wrong with the phone we have now. It still works, doesn't it?"

As such, Bella didn't have any way to leave a message and she hung up after it rang for the 20th time. Bella took several calming breaths and willed her panic away. Her dad was the police chief. The entire town knew how to get in touch with her if something had actually happened to him. Therefore, he was probably just out getting dinner at the diner like Jake had mentioned earlier.

Bella opened her eyes and stared forlornly at her small cup of dinner. A steak would have been nice.

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! The chapters will be a little longer from here on out – for the most part. **


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

Bella was working on her glutes. At least, that's what Jessica told her she was doing. Bella was convinced it was actually a form of torture.

"C'mon Bella. You won't be 23 forever. If you start working that area now, your ass will stay awesome until you're way old…45 at least."

"Do we have to do this on a Saturday? I was going to sleep in this morning." Bella was mourning the loss of sleep especially hard. She'd stayed up until after midnight trying to get a hold of her father. He'd finally answered the phone close to 1 am. He'd been visiting Billy down at La Push and he'd stayed late to see the end of the game.

Bella's fears about her dad being lonely had been temporarily eased, but she was still considering the possibility of tucking her tail in and running home.

They finished their workout and Jessica wanted to spend the rest of the day shopping. Bella had never met so many people who liked to shop.

"I can't today, Jess. The Cullens are hosting a BBQ and all the staff is invited."

Jessica's eyes nearly bust out of their sockets.

"Holy shit, Bella. Are you going to the mansion on the lake?"

Bella actually didn't know where she was going, but she thought it was farther away than Bear Lake and told Jessica so.

"Not that lake…Lake Michigan. The Cullens have a home north of town. Eric says its ginormous."

"I guess that's where it is. Is it really a mansion?"

"With servants, a pool house, a separate garage and everything."

"Huh, well, it should be a fun experience then."

"Ohhh! Take pictures. I've always wanted to know what it looks like on the inside."

Bella almost asked her how she knew what it looked like from the outside, but let that one pass.

"That's not such a good idea Jess."

"Fine. Well, take lots of mental notes. I want to hear all about it tomorrow."

Bella groaned. "Please, please – just one day off? I need to sleep."

Jessica huffed and picked up her towel and water bottle from the floor. She didn't look happy but Bella was not willing to compromise this time.

"Fine. But I'll expect to see you here Monday morning."

"Yes, drill sergeant." Bella watched her flounce out of the building and walk towards her own building at the end of the complex. It wasn't until she had made it to her own front door that she remembered that Monday was a holiday and she'd be missing another chance to sleep in.

At 2 pm sharp, Bella was dressed and waiting by the front door for her ride to arrive. From her peep hole, she could see the parking lot, and she kept checking to make sure that she wouldn't miss Alice and Jasper pull up. At 2:15, she actually walked out to the parking lot to make sure that she hadn't missed them. At 2:30, she finally called and reached a non-frantic Alice.

"Keep your panties on Bella. We're leaving in four minutes."

"But you said 2:00?" Bella asked the dial tone.

By 3:00, Bella had made a promise to herself. She was going to buy a TV tomorrow no matter what. If she had one, she could have at least zoned out for the past hour while she waited for her ride to show.

Bella realized she didn't even know what time the BBQ started. She hoped they wouldn't be too late.

At exactly 3:07, a loud knocking commenced on her front door. Bella stood up, grabbed her bag and keys and found a huffy Alice on the other side.

"It's about time! We're going to be late."

Dumbfounded, Bella locked up her apartment and followed Alice to Jasper's waiting truck.

"Seriously, Alice?"

Alice turned and smiled as they got into the car.

"No. I just like to see the look you get on your face when you can't decide whether you want to throttle or shake me."

The drive to Highland Park was pleasant. Jasper regaled Bella with stories from the football team that he coached. Alice seemed unusually quiet, but Bella and Jasper managed to fill the silences.

About 45 minutes later, Jasper eased his truck down a long lane and pulled into a wide circular drive. About a dozen other vehicles already lined the drive, and when they exited the truck, they could hear the chatter of a BBQ in full swing coming from the rear of the property.

"See? We're right on time Bella. No one wants to get to a party too early. Now, we can make a grand entrance."

Bella chuckled and turned to take her first glance at the Cullen's home. She had to agree with Eric: it was ginormous. She hoped her mouth wasn't hanging wide open and turned to find Alice and Jasper. Instead, she came face to face with Edward Cullen.

* * *

Edward tried to convince himself that he hadn't been looking for her. Waiting for her to show up. But as he'd wandered the back lawn of his childhood home, he kept looking for a head of long, mahogany hair. The kind that curled at the end and looked almost red in the sunlight.

He didn't know what had changed, but he thought he was beginning to actually like Bella Swan. He'd thought she was pretty from the moment she'd stumbled into the first day faculty meeting, but more and more, he began to think that she was beautiful.

He still didn't know if he could trust her though. Emmett's angry words had struck a chord, and Edward had been trying very hard since their encounter not to be openly hostile towards Bella. But, he felt like he'd gone from one extreme to the other. Almost as if the moment he stopped trying to dislike her, he'd found a hundred things to like about her.

Her smile, her laugh, her ability to drone on and on about books. Alice – yeah, it didn't hurt that she and Alice seemed to be friends. Alice was never wrong about anyone.

Alice had told him junior year that Victoria Jones was only dating him because she liked showing off her "rich boyfriend." At the age of 17, Edward hadn't really cared too much about that; she wasn't whiny or clingy like some of the other girls he'd dated. It didn't hurt that she gave great head too.

What he had minded was that she expected a certain caliber of gifts and vacations to be showered upon her. Things that Edward had little interest in. He took her to a Cubs game, and she complained about gum on her ass and spilled mustard on her shirt. He wrote her a song for her birthday, and she wanted to know when the diamond pendant she'd been hinting about was going to arrive.

Edward broke up with her the night of their junior prom. He'd planned to take Victoria to the family's cabin for the weekend, which had proved to be unacceptable to her standards.

"Edward, I thought you were going to book us a suite at the Four Seasons," she sniffed at him as she adjusted her cleavage in the front seat of his Mustang.

"Vic, the cabin is great. You'll love it. We can start a fire, go on long walks…"

"When did I ever give you the impression that I liked long walks?"

Edward had looked at her that night and actually seen her for the first time. He saw her fake nails, her fake hair, her fake tan, and realized that he had no idea who the real girl was.

"You're right, Victoria, this was a mistake," Edward had turned the car around and headed back towards her house.

"Finally," she'd sighed. "I'm glad you're seeing reason for once. When we get there, call down and make me a reservation at the spa tomorrow."

Edward had sat stonily silent. He hadn't wanted to fight with her for the duration of the short drive to her house. They'd only argued once before, but it had been on the violent side. She'd thrown her shoes at him and they'd only made up because he'd agreed to skip his brother's college honor society induction ceremony in order to take her to a Christina Aguilera concert.

Victoria arched her eyebrow at him when he'd pulled up in front of her parent's modest split-level near Bear Lake.

"Edward, this isn't the Four Seasons."

"Victoria, this isn't working out. You and me. We want different things."

Her eyes had actually seemed to glow red at his words. "You're not breaking up with me. On prom night."

Edward hadn't been able to tell which she'd been angrier about: that he was the one breaking up with her, or that he was doing it on prom night.

"You are such an asshole. I will not forget this, Cullen." She'd slammed the door of his car shut and stomped towards her house, only to stomp back again.

"By the way, your dick is miniscule. I've been fucking James Olwydd for the past two months and he's like Godzilla." She'd held her hands apart to demonstrate his impossible size. "Epic."

Edward sped off before she'd been able to do anything else. He'd feared, briefly, for his car, not putting it past her to scratch it with the heel of her shoe or set her lighter to it.

He hadn't felt any regret, really, about the end of that relationship. He'd been put out that he'd been forced to get tested for STDs after her revelation, but he'd come out clean and he'd moved on.

Alice, of course, had been right all those years ago, and she was probably right about Bella now. He should give her a chance before he labeled her. Which was why he was stumbling across his parents' lawn and ignoring his co-workers' calls of greeting.

Right, he was just trying to be friendly to her. This didn't explain the raging hard-on he'd woken up to this morning with pieces of a dream about a naked Bella slipping through his mind.

Edward looked at his watch and realized that it was almost 3:30, and Bella still hadn't shown up. He was tempted to call Alice and see if they were still coming, but that seemed too desperate. Instead, he grabbed a beer from the beverage table and hunted down his brother.

Emmett and Rosalie were chatting with Esme and Carlisle at the far end of the lawn. Edward took a quick peek at the circular drive of the house, and satisfied that neither Alice nor Bella were in sight yet, tried to concentrate on the conversation at hand.

"Are you sure you don't want to sit? You look exhausted," Esme's concern for her daughter-in-law wasn't surprising. This was her first grandchild but she'd always been the nurturing sort.

"Mom, I'm fine. It feels good to be up and around. Emmett keeps me off my feet at home."

"With good reason. You're due any minute," Emmett defended himself.

"And I'm going stir crazy." Rosalie shot her husband a look that clearly didn't scare him.

"Luckily, the hospital isn't too far away if you decide to go into labor today," Carlisle commented.

"And the entire faculty of Cullen Academy will be hanging out in the waiting room for the duration," Emmett laughed.

Rosalie shot him a look of disbelief, but Edward didn't doubt the truthfulness of it. He looked around the lawn at his co-workers and agreed that most of them would probably caravan to the hospital to await the birth of Emmett's child. Emmett was universally loved as a boss, a friend, and a leader by the faculty.

Edward heard a car door slam and turned quickly towards the drive. Sure enough, he spotted the head of hair he'd been searching for all afternoon. He felt his pulse begin to race as he excused himself and made his way to the front of the house.

He wished he had the patience to wait for her to come to him. To watch as she chatted with the rest of the staff and sampled the hors d'oeuvres that Esme had carefully ordered. He would watch her smile and play with her hair and tug at the bottom of her blue tank top like it wasn't long enough. Then, she would spot him across the lawn and make her way towards him. She would grab his hand and pull him behind the boat house where she'd shove him up against the wall and kiss him so hard that his toes would curl.

No, that was his fantasy. He wanted to be the one to grab her and shove her up against the boat house and plunge his hands into her thick curls, and God, why was all of her hair curly today? He'd plunge his tongue into her mouth and make her groan and writhe against him and he could play out the dream he'd had about her last night. The one where she ended up naked.

With a start, Edward realized that he was now standing right in front of the object of his fantasies. He barely remembered saying hello to Alice and Jasper as they'd passed by. He'd completely missed Alice's knowing smirk as she'd dragged Jasper away to leave him alone with Bella.

Bella was distracted by something around the front of the house which gave Edward ample time to calm his body and study her face and figure undetected.

Her hair was down today and extra curly, and he wondered if it was that way naturally. Her delicate features seemed to glow in the sunlight and her lips were a pale pink. The blue tank top she wore was tight and showed off her breasts. Edward's fingers twitched slightly at the thought of caressing them, so he moved on quickly before he embarrassed himself. Her skirt was, well a skirt. He didn't know how to describe it except it was flouncy and flowery. Crap – was flouncy even a word? Her legs below it were thin and pale and he really wanted to know what they would look like against his sheets.

Yep, he had definitely gone to the opposite extreme if he was now imagining her naked against his sheets. Two days ago, he'd accused her of trying to get his big brother horizontal. Now, he was dying to get her that way himself.

Bella turned and caught him staring at her.

"Edward! Hi." She seemed nervous at being caught staring at his parents' home.

"Hi." Edward was suddenly nervous himself. He hadn't thought about what he would say to her once she arrived, only how he would get her behind the boat house. That idea suddenly seemed stupid.

"Um, the party's back here," he motioned with his head towards the back lawn.

"Great! I'm starved." She started walking and Edward kept pace next to her. "Sorry we're late. Alice was supposed to pick me up at 2, but she didn't. I don't actually know why she was so late," Bella rambled.

"That's actually standard Alice operating procedure. She has an entire list of rules of party etiquette that she follows. Showing up late is rule number one."

"Making a grand entrance – she did mention that," Bella conceded.

"See? Not that much of a mystery after all."

"I guess not. Your parents have a really…nice…house."

Edward chuckled. "Nice" obviously wasn't the word she wanted to use but he didn't want to embarrass her by making her confess her true thoughts.

"Yeah, it's…nice. Come meet my parents." Edward shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from grabbing one of hers and pulling her towards Esme and Carlisle. What was wrong with him today?

Bella faltered for a moment but caught up quickly. She looked nervous again.

Edward found his parents standing alone near the BBQ, conversing quietly.

"Mom, Dad, I want to introduce you to someone."

His parents turned and looked at him quizzically. Edward realized immediately his mistake. He never introduced anyone to his parents. Not the women that he dated, not any of his friends, nor any of his co-workers. They looked at the small dark-haired girl at his side and smiled widely. Shit – he was giving them the wrong impression. He'd made Bella Swan out to be Important. That's Important with a capital I. As in, "Please meet my future wife and mother of your grandchildren" Important. Time to backtrack.

"Uh, this is Bella Swan. She's the new freshman English teacher. Alice and Jasper abandoned her in the parking lot so I thought I'd show her around."

Smooth, Cullen, very smooth. Nice deflection.

His mother smirked at him before turning her smile on Bella.

"I'm so glad to meet you. Please, call me Esme," his mother all but purred at Bella.

Carlisle held out his hand and pumped her smaller one a few times. "I read your resume before Emmett brought you on board. It was very impressive. I've seen your portfolio too. Are you planning to use the same project plan this year for your unit on Ethan Frome?"

While Carlisle and Bella discussed lesson plans, Edward tried in vain to avoid looking at his mother. He knew that she was already planning their engagement party and he needed to get out of there quick.

"Mom, Dad, Bella's starving. I'm going to take her to get something to eat. I'll see you later." Edward all but pushed a confused-looking Bella away from his plotting parents.

Bella stumbled along next to him, watching the ground carefully as they made their way to the buffet table.

"They seem very nice," Bella commented as she picked up a plate and perused the table.

"Hmm..." Edward said, noncommittally.

They finished filling their plates in silence and Edward directed her towards an empty table near the rear of the property. The breeze was blowing in off the lake and they had to moor their napkins underneath the plates to keep them from blowing away.

They ate in silence but Bella seemed on the verge of saying something several times. Finally, she put down her fork and glared at him.

"Edward, what's going on? Up until yesterday, you seemed to hate me, and now you're acting like my best friend. I'm confused."

Edward didn't want to be her best friend. He just wanted to spend time with her, talk to her, have mad bunny sex with her. He couldn't tell her that though.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, hoping that it was loud enough that he wouldn't have to repeat it.

Bella looked at him with her mouth wide open.

"What?" she asked him incredulously.

"Don't make me say it again. I don't apologize all that often. But, I've been a total dickhead towards you and I wanted you to know that I'm not really like that. I thought that if I showed you that I could be a normal person, you wouldn't hate me anymore and Emmett would stop threatening to crush my skull."

"So, this is just to appease Emmett?"

"No. Yes. No. Not entirely. He helped to show me the error of my ways. Look, can we start over? Pretend like I haven't treated you the way I have in a misguided attempt to protect my family? Let today be the first day we met?"

Edward watched as Bella looked around at the people around them. His family and friends and co-workers who were normal; laughing, talking, and having a good time. Not like him who could bring a clown to tears with his seriousness.

After what felt like hours, Bella looked him in the eyes, and held out her hand.

"Hi, I'm Bella. I'm the new English teacher."

Edward smiled back and shook her small hand, feeling her smooth skin against his rough and calloused palm.

"I'm Edward. I teach music. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise."

Edward held onto her hand a heartbeat too long, and she ended up being the first to pull away.

Edward felt happy for the first in a long time.

Neither of them noticed the small group of people staring at them from across the lawn, with mixed looks of disbelief, happiness, and satisfaction on their faces.

Alice turned to her husband and the Cullens. "See? I told you."

* * *

Bella felt like she'd stepped into an episode of The Twilight Zone. From the moment that Alice and Jasper had abandoned her on the front lawn of the Cullen house, nothing had made sense.

It didn't make sense that she, little Bella Swan from little Forks, WA, had been invited to a party in a mansion.

It didn't make sense that Alice and Jasper had left her to fend for herself. She'd expected them to introduce her around to the other teachers. The nice ones that didn't accuse her of sleeping with their brother.

It didn't make sense that Edward Cullen had latched onto her like a barnacle to the bottom of a boat.

It didn't make sense that he'd then introduced her to his parents. His parents. And not like, hey here's Bella who teaches at the school that the two of you founded. It was more like, here's Bella Swan, she teaches at the school, but isn't she the most awesome woman on the planet?

Bella could tell that his parents had gotten that same vibe, and hadn't hidden the way they'd looked her up and down. Measuring her against any countless other women he'd introduced to his parents.

Not that that bothered her or anything. Far from it. But, it didn't make sense.

Then, he'd apologized to her. Told her that he wanted to start over. Bella was floored. Who was this guy and where had the real Edward Cullen gone?

Except, right, she was in The Twilight Zone, so it shouldn't seem odd that Edward had done a complete 180 and was acting like a human being for the second day in a row.

At this rate, she might actually start to like him.

Which made her pause on her way down the hallway. She looked back at Edward who had shown her down this hallway and pointed her towards the bathroom. She was stricken again by his good looks. His hair had been blown all crazy by the breeze and he was in the process of brushing it back off his face. But, there was something else, something more than the way he looked.

He'd been nothing but solicitous towards her all afternoon. He'd introduced her around, made sure she'd had something to eat and drink. They'd actually found things to talk about, and not just about school. He was passionate about music, which Bella could totally relate to. She was just as passionate about books. Edward was surprised to learn that Bella's musical education had begun and ended with her grade school music class, so he'd announced that he would introduce her to his own music collection and expand her mind. Bella had made him promise to try out some of the books that he passed by every day on his way to the music room.

Bella wasn't sure how she felt about being friends with Edward Cullen. She'd never been just friends with a man before. Jacob didn't count because she'd been in love with him forever. What would it be like to spend time with a man who didn't make her heart pump at the very sight of him? A man who she hadn't planned her entire future around?

But, now was not the time to start thinking about Jacob again. Last night, Jacob had sounded disappointed that they wouldn't have their regular evening phone call tonight. Bella sniffed and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was probably just casting her own delusions onto him though.

As she looked closer at her face, Bella realized that she'd gotten a slight sunburn from being outside all afternoon. She never got sunburned in the perpetual cloudiness of Forks, and usually stayed indoors the few times she'd been to visit her mom over the years. Seeing any hint of color on her face was a shock. Not a bad shock…the color actually brought some life to her otherwise boring features.

Bella smiled and liked what she saw. She tamed her curls the best that she could after they'd been blown around all afternoon and went out to hunt down Edward.

Edward was not in the hallway where he'd left her. Bella was unsure as to whether she should wait for him or just go back outside on her own. Truthfully, it had been awkward being by his side all afternoon. Some of the other teachers had given her the eye when Edward had introduced her. It seemed like they were making assumptions about their relationship that Bella would prefer to avoid.

Bella decided to head back out of the house and try mingling on her own for a while.

Except, she was distracted by a room full of photographs on her way out of the house.

These weren't family photographs. Pictures of Esme, Carlisle, and their two sons through the years. These were photographs that someone had taken and lovingly framed and hung on the wall. Bella's eye was particularly drawn to a large one that hung on the right side of the wall.

She didn't know the exact size of the picture, but it was larger than a regular piece of paper.

What really caught her eye was the subject matter. It was a black and white, but with so many varying shades that it seemed as vibrant as a color photo. A lone tree rose out of a sea of forlorn shrubs, its bare branches rising majestically towards a barren sky. Bella was stricken by the loneliness that the tree conveyed, but also by its strength.

"Do you like it?" Edward asked from her left.

Normally, Bella would have jumped at the unexpected sound of his voice, but she felt like she'd known he was standing there all along.

"I do. It's so sad, but strong at the same time. The color, the light, the composition – everything is perfect."

"You sound like you know a thing or two about photography."

"Charlie bought me a Polaroid when I was 10 and noticed that I took pictures – all the time. He bought me a 35mm camera two years later and had the dispatcher from the station, who also worked part time as the school photographer, show me how to use it. Sheila was really nice."

"Charlie?"

"My dad. I call him Charlie sometimes, but usually not to his face."

Edward laughed. "My dad would blow a fuse if I called him Carlisle to his face."

"I know it's unconventional, but my dad and I have always been pretty close. It's been the two of us for just about forever. We're pretty casual."

"Hmm."

"Do you know the photographer?"

Edward looked at her with a question in his eyes.

"The tree picture – do you know who took it?" Bella tried to place the work from some of the famous photographers she knew about but didn't recognize the style.

"I do," Edward replied mysteriously.

"So, do you feel like sharing, or do I have to ask Esme?"

"No, don't bother her. I'm the photographer."

Somehow, Bella wasn't surprised at the revelation.

"Edward, that's fantastic. Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Bella was slightly embarrassed now for gushing about the picture.

"I wanted to know what you really thought about it. If I'd told you sooner, you would have censored your comments. Now I know that you know how brilliant I really am."

Bella laughed and tapped him on the arm lightly.

"You're modest too."

"Are you ready to head back outside?"

"Yes, but I seem to be taking up all your time. You don't have to keep babysitting me. I can probably mingle on my own for a while."

"Am I boring you?"

"Far from it, but I'm not your responsibility."

"You don't feel like a responsibility. I've enjoyed showing you around this afternoon."

"Ok then, lead on."

They spent the rest of the day and evening talking, watching the math department challenge the science department to a game of croquet, and just enjoying each other's company.

Bella was surprised at 11:00 when Alice came to collect her for the trip home. She hadn't realized how quickly the time had passed and was reluctant to leave.

"I can take her home," Edward told Alice when she announced that she and Jasper were ready to go.

Alice smirked at Edward, not seeming the least bit surprised at his announcement.

"Bella?" Alice asked her, the unsaid question hanging in the air.

Bella looked at Edward and was struck again by the otherworldliness of the situation. She didn't know what had happened between them that day, but she wasn't sure that she could trust it to last.

"I'm pretty tired too. I'm ready to head back."

"Are you sure? I don't live that far from you and it wouldn't be out of the way." Edward seemed to be begging. Was this normal behavior from him? One look at Alice's face told her no.

"How do you know where I live?" Bella was pretty sure she'd never told him where her apartment was.

"Uh, Emmett mentioned that you'd moved to Ingle Heights and I'm only ten minutes away."

"Thanks for the offer, Edward, but I don't want to drag you away from your family."

Edward looked crestfallen, and Bella almost relented, but the whole situation was crazy. Bella was trying to jump off the crazy train, not buy a round trip ticket.

"I'll see you on Tuesday, then?"

Bella couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. She nodded her head in agreement. "Tuesday."

Bella followed Alice across the lawn, and looked back to wave goodbye to Edward. Only, the lawn was now empty and Edward was nowhere in sight.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

Bella spent the rest of the holiday weekend shopping with Alice, hanging drapes in her apartment, and hanging out with Jessica.

When she took a look around her apartment Monday evening, she felt like she had a home for the first time, and not just a place to crash at the end of the day. She still needed more furniture, but she'd made a trip to the grocery store so she could start cooking dinners again and the apartment just felt welcome and cozy.

On the drive to school Tuesday morning, Bella was nervous. She tried to convince herself that it was due to going back into the classroom again after the long weekend, but she knew that wasn't it. She'd never been nervous about getting in front of her students before. She was afraid her nerves were due to a certain music teacher.

Bella didn't know what to think about Edward Cullen anymore. She was willing to try and be friends with him, especially after Alice had talked him up the whole way home Saturday night. She'd given him such a glowing endorsement that Bella had wondered aloud why Alice hadn't snagged him for her own.

It was then that Alice admitted that they'd dated briefly in high school, but it had never been serious. Bella tried picturing her with Edward and she couldn't get it to work in her head. Alice had noticed her efforts, laughed and patted her arm reassuringly.

As Bella walked to the front of the school, she stole a quick glance towards the smallest building on the right side of the property that she now knew housed the guidance offices. It looked empty, but Bella wondered if Alice was in her office yet. She almost took a quick side trip to say good morning, but decided that there was someone else she'd like to see first. Just to see which Edward had made an appearance at school today.

Bella replayed their last conversation through her head, and was sure that he'd seemed unhappy to see her leave. Plus, he'd made a point of saying that he would see her today so there was no real harm in saying a quick hello on the way to her classroom.

She was hoping they would both ignore the fact that the music room was not on the way to her classroom.

She passed several other teachers en route that she now recognized from the BBQ. Bella felt more confident this morning than she had in weeks. It felt good to have a job that she liked, co-workers that she knew, and friends who looked forward to seeing her.

The smile on her face was broad and contagious, and it was only when she found a tall black-haired woman in the music room instead of Edward that it faltered.

Bella looked around to make sure that she was in the right room, but there was no mistaking the music room with its scattered instruments, piles of sheet music and carpeted risers.

The woman, who had a gorgeous head of raven hair that hung almost to her hips, cast her gloomy visage on Bella and looked at her questioningly.

Bella realized with a start that she was waiting for her to say something.

"Um….where's Mr. Cullen?" She really wanted to say, "Who the hell are you?" but rephrased her question in time.

"He called out. I'm the substitute. Are you the aide for his first period music appreciation class?"

Bella wasn't surprised that she'd been mistaken for a student. The women who ran the cafeteria kept charging her the student price for her lunches and she'd been yelled at twice by the custodian for using the teacher's restroom.

Bella couldn't help that she was vertically challenged and only a few years out of high school.

"No, I'm a friend." Was it weird admitting that to a stranger? "I teach upstairs. I was just going to tell say hello."

Ms. Raven Hair sniffed and went back to straightening the chairs in the room.

"Well, have a good day." It was a clear dismissal. Bella hesitated briefly, tempted to tell her that it was useless straightening the chairs. From what little Bella had seen, Edward liked a casual atmosphere and let his students sit wherever they wanted.

Instead, Bella retreated to her classroom upstairs to get ready for the day.

She wondered where Edward was up until third period. By that point, she'd pictured him suffering through all types of ailments, which had then transgressed to him being involved in a horrible accident that had him on his death bed. Charlie had always teased her that when she jumped overboard, not even a life preserver could save her.

Salvation came in the form of Angela Weber. When the friendly math teacher popped her head into Bella's room during her free period, Bella realized that she hadn't had a chance to speak to her since the first day. Angela seemed nice and Bella liked her laid-back vibe.

"Did you hear the news? They had a boy!" Angela practically vibrated with excitement, and it was so contagious that it took Bella a minute to realize that she had no idea who she was talking about.

"Who?"

"Emmett and Rosalie. He was born this morning at 5:32 am. They named him George – I think it's a family name. He was 9 lbs, 11 oz, and 23" long. Sounds like he's going to be big just like his dad."

"That's great news! Are they doing alright?" Bella couldn't imagine that the perfect Rosalie would have anything less than the perfect birth.

"From what I hear, Rosalie's already trying to get her doctor to release her so she can go home."

"I'm sure Emmett's thrilled."

"Are you kidding? He's the proudest dad on the planet today. Hey, a bunch of us are going to stop by after school today, do you want to come with us?"

"I don't want to intrude. I barely know them." Plus, Bella really hated hospitals. She'd spent her childhood in and out of the ER in Forks due to her inability to stay accident-free for longer than 48 hours. Ever since, they just gave her the shakes.

"Well, if you change your mind, come find me at the end of the day. Emmett thinks of all of us as family, so I know he won't mind if you come along."

Bella nodded her head, trying to convince Angela that she would at least consider tagging along. Realistically, she'd rather be anywhere than at the hospital this afternoon. No offense to Emmett and Rosalie, but she was feeling nauseous just thinking about it.

Angela turned to leave, but Bella had a thought and called her back.

"Angela? Is that why Edward Cullen isn't here today?" Bella hated being forced to ask about his whereabouts, but she really had dreamed up all sorts of awful scenarios.

"Yeah – he's the one who called me with the good news. He sounds like he's vying for top uncle too. He and Emmett are real close, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. Thanks Angela."

Bella tapped her pencil against her mouth as she thought some more about Edward. He was full of surprises. She'd tagged him for the playboy, happy to be a bachelor type, but he had some strong familial urges that were surprising. Bella pictured him cradling his small nephew in his arms, rocking him to sleep. Well, not so small nephew after all.

The rest of the day passed quickly now that she knew Edward's fate wasn't so dire after all. Several more of her co-workers stopped by to make sure she'd heard the news about the baby. Most left with a promise to "see her later at the hospital."

Bella's silent response was, "Not if I can help it."

By the end of the day her palms were sweaty and she had the shakes. She'd gone back in forth in her head over the issue, and as much as she wanted to show her support to Emmett and Rosalie, see the new baby, and try to fit in with the rest of her co-workers there was just no way that her nerves could handle it.

She would have to find another way to congratulate them on the birth of their son. Maybe she could send them flowers. People did that, right? Bella didn't have any experience with friends or co-workers having babies. The closest she came to little children was passing them in the grocery store while their mothers pushed them around in their shopping carts. And it wasn't like Charlie had been a fount of information about proper etiquette.

Bella had been raised by a man in a small town with very little female influence. Her yearly visits to her mom didn't count. Sometimes she felt like she was lucky that she'd come out of the experience with any femininity at all.

Bella sat at her desk and took deep, calming breaths. Now that she'd made the decision to skip the hospital visit, she felt her heart rate slow to its normal pace and the tightening in her chest lessen.

The last time Bella had a panic attack like this, she'd been with Jacob. Of course she'd been with Jacob. Just being in his presence kicked up her heart rate and sent her hormones screaming through her system.

After she'd turned 16 and started eyeing Jacob as a piece of man meat instead of as a childhood playmate, it had been difficult for Bella to act normally around him. She knew that he noticed the difference, but they'd never had the type of relationship where they would talk about that sort of thing.

Bella had fond memories of their childhood. They'd spent countless hours outdoors together, playing in the mud and beach around La Push. They'd practically had the run of Forks as well. They would ride their bikes to the park on the far side of town and see who could throw rocks the farthest across the river. On the days that it rained really hard, they would play inside one of their homes.

Bella's favorite games to play had been hide and seek, Chutes and Ladders, and any card game that involved her My Little Pony playing cards. Jacob's tastes had leaned more towards his bucket of soldiers, Matchbox cars and Transformers dolls. Bella laughed at that memory. She'd always called them dolls, only to be corrected by a terse-looking Jacob: "They're action figures, not dolls. Dolls are for girls."

Somehow, they'd always found a middle ground.

Until their stupid hormones got in the way and ruined everything.

She'd tried acting normally around Jacob, but more than once he'd caught her staring at one part of his body or another and things had turned very awkward.

The summer after her junior year, Bella made up an excuse to go to Seattle. She knew that Charlie wouldn't let her drive there by herself, and she wanted some alone time with Jacob. Jake had been spending most of his time trying to impress the girls around town that summer, and Bella had felt…ignored. It hurt when your best friend didn't want to spend time with you any more. It doubly hurt when you were in love with said friend and he was chasing other girls.

It had taken her a week to convince Jacob to ride with her to Seattle. He wanted to argue about whose car they were going to take. Jake had rebuilt both of them, Bella's truck and his Rabbit, but he'd given his own car a few extra horsepowers and wanted to get to town and back in time to "check in with the new waitress at the coffee shop."

Bella ground her teeth and agreed to ride in the Rabbit.

The ride to Seattle had actually been pleasant. They'd talked easily and sung along to the radio. It had been like old times. They'd spent the day hunting down the mythical jelly roll pan that she had to have in order to make Charlie's birthday cake. Jake had been a good sport while she'd dragged him from store to store, never trying to rush her or complain about the trip. They'd eaten lunch at McDonald's which was actually a treat because the closest one to Forks was in Port Angeles.

Bella had been happily sipping her vanilla milk shake as Jake drove them out of town and back towards home. Bella wanted to pretend that this had been a date. That Jake had held her hand as they walked from one shop to another. That he'd pulled her close when the creepy guy in the black trench had smacked his lips at her and waggled his eyebrows suggestively. That he'd pulled her plastic chair out for her at the restaurant and kissed her lips gently before they dug into their burgers and fries.

Sadly, none of that had happened. Except for the creepy guy in the trench coat – that part was true. Only, Jake had laughed instead of acting protective.

Bella had her first moment of doubt about Jacob Black during that car trip home. It happened on the Edmond/Kingston Ferry. The ride across the sound took 30 minutes, and they'd been walking around the deck. Bella had her camera, and was taking pictures of Jacob, the city behind them and the snow-capped Olympic Mountains that lay in front of them.

"I never get tired of those mountains. Aren't they beautiful?" Bella had snapped off several more pictures before filling up her roll of film.

Jacob had stood at the guardrail, his back to the mountains, feet crossed in front of him.

"You're so weird sometimes."

"Why do you say that?"

"Mooning over the mountains – are you for real, Bells? We see those damn mountains every day. I never even notice them. Here you are taking pictures of them like a tourist."

Bella felt the twinges of competing emotions. She recognized one of them immediately – hurt – because that wasn't foreign to her. The other emotion took a while to recognize.

"We never see them from this angle. Turn around and look at them and you'll see what I mean. They're so majestic. Protective."

Jacob laughed, and it wasn't his usual laugh. This laugh was new, it had been making an appearance all summer, and Bella didn't like it. It seemed to dismiss her at every turn. The old Jacob laugh had never made her feel like an outsider.

"They're just mountains, Bells. Stop letting that artsy shit go to your head. Next thing I know, you'll be reciting me a poem about their golden splendors."

Bella recognized that other emotion now. It was anger. She rarely got angry and certainly never with Jacob.

"Shut up, Jake."

"Great come back, Swan. 'Shut up Jake,'" he mimicked her voice and tone almost exactly.

Bella felt the prickling of tears and she clenched her small hands into fists. Why did he have to ruin their perfect day? She watched him turn his back to her and walk to the other side of the deck, facing out to the water instead of towards land. That was when the panic had set in. Was she wrong about loving Jacob? About him loving her in return? He'd never been cruel to her before. Was there no chance for the two of them then?

Her 17-year-old self had felt like she'd been on the edge of a cliff, and not knowing whether to jump or turn back. If she jumped, would he catch her or would he watch her drop like a rock? If she turned back, would she ever have the chance to jump again?

The shakes had taken over her whole body and she'd stumbled towards an empty bench, ignoring the worried looks of the other passengers. It had taken her 15 minutes to regain control. Jacob hadn't come to find her until it was time to get back in the car and off the ferry. He'd acted like nothing had happened between the two of them, so Bella pretended right along with him.

She pretended that they were still best friends and nothing more.

In her heart, she wished for so much more.

The rest of the car ride home had been silent. Bella had held the hurt in, and Jacob had let go of whatever mean-spirited bug had bit him.

They never spoke of mountains, cameras, or another trip to Seattle together.

Things returned to normal, and with time, Bella pushed the incident to the back of her mind and returned to loving Jacob from afar. It seemed easier that way anyway.

Bella realized with a start that the sun had moved across the horizon while she'd been reminiscing. The normal sounds of an active school day had died away, leaving her alone in the silence. She quickly gathered her things, planning to spend the evening grading some papers and working on lesson plans.

First, she made a stop at the guidance office. Bella was disappointed to find it dark and empty. She had hoped to see Alice, but she had probably gone to the hospital with the other staff after school to see little George.

Bella headed home, and when she stepped into her apartment, she relished the quiet for the first time since her big move. Charlie had never been much of a talker so Bella was used to not making a lot of pointless conversation, but the TV was usually on, or Charlie would often get work-related calls at home in the evening. Being the police chief of a small town was a never-ending job, regardless of what his office hours were.

And then there was Jacob. Jacob loved to talk. And Bella loved the sound of his voice, all deep and rumbly. She always felt an answering rumble coming from the center of her own chest whenever he spoke.

The silence of living alone had been scary at first. She'd longed for the sound of the basketball game in the background, Charlie shifting in his favorite chair, and Jacob's running commentary of the game. She even longed for the sound of the rain hitting the roof, dripping off the edge and running down the gutters.

Today, Bella liked the silence. She breathed out and felt herself relax. A wave of calm washed over her and she felt at peace.

The evening passed quickly. Bella tried calling Alice to ask about the baby, but got no response. She did find a florist that would deliver an arrangement to Rosalie in the hospital. Bella picked a pretty basket that had daisies and blue carnations.

The evening phone call with Jacob went well, but Bella had been having second thoughts about talking with Jacob every day. The day they'd missed their chat due to the BBQ had been one of her best days so far. She'd barely thought about Jacob, and hadn't felt that achy feeling in her chest until she'd heard his voice on Sunday. Bella missed him, but those moments were coming less and less frequently.

The next day, Jacob was still on her mind. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't hear the tapping on her classroom door or her name being called softly. She finally snapped out of it when a pair of sneakers crept into her line of vision.

Bella looked up expecting to see one of her students, early for first period. Instead, she gazed into the green depths of Edward's eyes.

"Hi," he greeted her quietly, almost with caution.

"Hey. Sorry, I didn't hear you."

"I know. I've been watching you for a couple minutes and you look like you're doing some serious thinking. Do you want to talk about it?"

Did she want to talk about Jacob…with him? Tell him all about her unrequited long-time crush on her best friend? Admit her sad, pitiful, non-existent romantic history? Absolutely not.

"Not really."

"Ok," he paused clearly trying to think of some way to change the subject. "Did you hear about the baby?"

"Oh, yeah. Congrats. How does it feel to be an uncle?"

Bella's words sounded flat to her own ears. She just didn't have it in her this morning to show enthusiasm for much of anything.

"Thanks. It's good – so far. George has strong lungs and he's been letting everyone know when he's unhappy. He's also a charmer. The nurses keep coming into the room to check up on him."

Bella chuckled, "Are you sure it's him and not his dad?"

She wanted to take back the words as soon as she'd said them. They'd barely gotten past the stage where Edward thought she was sleeping with his brother, now here she was talking about how good-looking he was.

Edward froze, blinked, and his face went blank. Gone were the smile and the shiny eyes. Bella expected to see a look of accusation, but all she saw was the blank mask.

"You may be right. Rosalie's pretty good at running interference for any women that get too close, but she's a little off her game right now. I'm sure she'll be back up to speed soon though."

Bella wondered if he was warning her. She wasn't in the mood today to try and decipher the enigma of Edward Cullen.

She looked at the clock pointedly and said, "First period's going to start soon. I need to finish getting ready."

Edward leaned back and Bella realized how close they'd been standing to one another up until that point. They were standing practically toe to toe. How had he gotten so close so quickly?

"Yeah. Listen, are you sure you're ok?"

"I may be a little off my game today too. But, I'm fine."

"Ok. Um, do you want to come by and see the baby later?"

Holy heck, Bella thought to herself. This was not happening today. This invite wasn't like the multiple invites she'd received the day before. This one was personal and invasive. Not invasive to her, but to his family. He was inviting her into his family's inner circle. Bella almost burst into tears. She couldn't deal with this and the Jacob thing too. Not today.

She fell back on her excuse from the day before.

"I really hate hospitals, Edward."

"That's not a problem. They're sending Rosalie home today so they'll be at their house by the time school lets out. I just thought since you didn't get a chance to come by yesterday you might want to come by today." His eyes looked hopeful.

Now Bella was stuck. She felt on edge today, and the last thing she wanted to do was try and figure out the social niceties of meeting your boss's newborn son while tagging along with his sexy, younger brother.

"Maybe another time, Edward. I'm just not feeling myself today."

Edward took another step back and nodded his head.

"Ok. Well, I'll see you around."

She watched him walk quickly out of the room, hands in his pockets, head down.

Bella sat back down in her chair. She was going to have to fix that, but not today. Today was for herself. She steeled her nerves for the day ahead and put herself into her Ms. Swan persona. Right now, she was going to be an English teacher. At 2:30, she could go home and eat ice cream and just be Bella the relationship-challenged 23-year-old.

* * *

What Bella hadn't counted on was Alice. Alice bounded into her room, full of energy as always, at 2:45.

"Let's go!"

Bella looked up from the columns of grades she was recording onto her laptop.

"Go where?" Bella massaged her temples trying to will away the headache that had been lingering all day.

"There's a baby boutique at the pier that I want to hit. Rose doesn't have any true boy clothes for George and I've been waiting for months to buy him stuff."

"Wait, there's a pier that sells baby clothes?"

"Bella, please keep up. The Pier - it's on the west side of the lake. It's the town's shopping center. There are stores, a couple bars, some restaurants, an ice cream shop and a band stand for concerts during the summer. They just opened a Whole Foods there too. Please come with me – you know you want to."

Actually, Bella just wanted to go to bed. But, Alice was infectious. Magically, she had the ability to transfer her own enthusiasm about the trip onto Bella. Plus, Bella did want to explore the Whole Foods. She'd always wanted to go, but the closest one at home had been in Seattle.

"Alright – but only if you explain why Rosalie doesn't have any boy clothes." Bella packed up her laptop and grabbed the rest of her things.

Alice linked her arm through Bella's as they walked down the hall.

"Emmett was dying to find out whether they were having a boy or a girl ahead of time, but Rosalie insisted that they wait until the baby was born. So, Emmett spent the last half of her pregnancy try to bribe the technicians and doctor into telling him the sex so he could hold it over her head. He figured, correctly, that she would have to know too if he knew ahead of time."

"But Emmett never found out?"

"No. He forgot about the cunning and wile of his wife. Rosalie arrived to their first ultrasound appointment early, with gifts in hand. She handed out tickets to the Bears to her doctor and travel vouchers to the technicians with the understanding that the baby would be feeling 'shy' every time she came in and they wouldn't be able to identify the sex. She promised to come back with more for each subsequent visit."

"So, she probably has a lot of yellow and green clothes then?"

Alice smiled and said, "She would if Emmett hadn't told all their family and friends that they were having a girl. We had a baby shower for her last month, and everyone showed up with pink stuff. Pink clothes, pink diaper bag, pink bottles. Rosalie almost killed him."

"I didn't realize he was such a prankster."

"You have no idea." Alice gave her arm a squeeze and pointed them towards the exit. Bella stumbled forward when Alice suddenly stopped and bounced back against her hold like a rubber band.

Bella looked at her friend. "Alice?"

When she kept staring straight ahead, Bella turned to find the source of the disruption and found the same green eyes that had bored into her own that morning. Edward was leaning against the pillar, just inside the doors. He straightened when he realized that they were staring at him.

"Hey."

"Hey," Alice and Bella answered in unison, then turned and laughed at one another.

Edward looked uncomfortable and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Bella, I was just waiting to see if you'd changed your mind about this afternoon, but I guess not."

Crud – she'd forgotten about Edward. Alice really was magical – she'd made her forget about Jacob and Edward for 15 minutes. It had been blissful.

"Changed her mind about what?" Alice asked.

"I was going to take her to see the baby, but Bella said she wasn't up to it this morning."

"Oh, Bella, you should go. We can go shopping another day."

Bella sighed as Alice tossed her to the wolves. She had a hard time saying no to anyone, and she wasn't sure how to do this without hurting Edward's feelings. She'd obviously hurt them this morning and didn't want to do it again.

"Edward, can we go tomorrow instead? I'm really feeling kind of down today, and Alice has promised a magical cure." Bella crossed her fingers and hoped that Alice wouldn't reveal her half-truths.

"Ok, yeah, let's go tomorrow. I can drive you over after school and then bring you back to get your car…"

Edward's obvious relief and huge smile almost had her agreeing to his plan. But she didn't want to be stuck at Casa de Emmett and Rosalie if things turned uncomfortable.

"Or I could just follow you over."

Edward nodded his head in agreement and waved goodbye before heading down the hall towards the music room.

"He spends a lot of time here, doesn't he?"

Bella turned and found Alice staring at her.

"What?"

"You know what. And when you're ready, you'll tell me."

"O – k. Well, I think The Dock is calling our names."

Alice followed her out of the building and towards her car.

"The Pier, Bella. It's called The Pier."


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer. **

The Pier was a magical place. Two rows of small shops and boutiques ran parallel to one another, with a wide pedestrian path running in between. The path led down to the lake front, where there was an actual pier that housed the bandstand. Bella could see some boats out on the lake, enjoying the last days of summer.

Small trees lined the pathways, and the town had covered the branches with lights which, according to Alice, were kept lit year-round.

"It's really beautiful here after it gets dark. The lights reflect off the lake and there's this indescribable golden glow."

"It does sound quite beautiful. I'll have to come back sometime and bring my camera." Bella wished that she had it with her then because between the lake and the quaint store fronts there were a lot of possibilities. Bella hadn't felt inspired in a long time, but there was something about the lake that was calling to her muse.

"You like to take pictures too?" Alice asked, with a glint in her eye. One that Bella was beginning to recognize. It usually meant that Alice was scheming.

"Too?"

"Edward was practically born with a piano in one hand and a camera in the other."

"I'm not surprised. He showed me some of his work when we were at the BBQ. It was pretty great."

"You guys should get together some time and talk about…photography."

Bella put her hand on her friend's arm to stop her from walking.

"Alice – are you trying to set me up with Edward?"

"Yes," Alice sighed. "I know you're still hung up on this Jacob guy, but I think Edward likes you and I know you don't hate him, so I think you should give him a try."

"A try? Like a pair of shoes?" Bella should have been surprised at the turn their conversation had taken, but she wasn't. Alice had not been subtle the few times she'd seen her with Edward.

"No – more like you're trying out a new restaurant. One that your friends have been raving about, but maybe you're nervous to try because you've never sampled the cuisine before?"

"I've sampled the cuisine before. Really – a restaurant analogy?" Bella rolled her eyes.

Alice guided them towards the baby shop while she talked. "Great. So, it's not the type of food that makes you nervous, but the atmosphere?"

Bella shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe."

"Now we're getting somewhere. So, the restaurant has all these things inside that you're not familiar with, and it's a little confusing, but the restaurant really wants your business…"

"My business? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?"

"Bella, stop interrupting. You're messing up my flow."

"Sorry."

"Thank you. So, the restaurant has advertised its specials, hired on the best wait staff and chefs, and now it's just waiting for your patronage. But, you probably shouldn't wait too long, because even the best restaurants close up shop if they're not patronized."

"Alice, I think that was the most convoluted thing anyone has ever said to me."

"Bella, lame restaurant thing aside, I see the way that Edward looks at you, and I haven't seen him look at anyone like that before – ever. He's been my friend for a long time, and I think the two of you would be a great couple."

They'd reached the front of the baby shop, and sat down on a bench outside. Bella played with the frayed edges of her purse while she thought.

"Alice – the thing is – I don't think I'm ready for any kind of relationship. I've spent a good part of my life in love with one man. Other men haven't even made it onto my radar screen. I'm just getting to the point now where I'm thinking that maybe its time to move on from that one man, but I'm scared. It's hard to let go, you know?"

Alice nodded her head and seemed to struggle with not letting out whatever torrent of thought was coursing through her brain. Bella would have laughed if she hadn't felt like she was on the edge of an epiphany.

"I don't want to spend my life alone. I had all these plans for Jacob and me that have just kind of vanished over the past three weeks, and it has been kind of horrible. I thought I could come here and be away from him and my life would suddenly make sense and I would get over him, but that's not what has happened. Not much has changed. I'm doing the same things I did before, only its long distance now. I talk to Jacob every day and listen to him talk about his life, and I feel empty now. I'm not a part of that life now, and it hurts, but I know it's for the best because I wasn't ever a part of the part of his life that I wanted to be a part of."

"God, Bella, I'm trying to keep up, but you're making it hard. Just spit it out."

Bella sat up straight on the bench and looked her friend in the eyes, trying to call forth all the courage that she wasn't feeling in that moment.

"I'm not ready to date anyone right now, let alone Edward Cullen. I need to get Jacob out of my head first. He's there, he has this whole section of my head and heart and I need to get rid of him first before I can even try and think about anyone else."

Alice jumped up and wrapped her arms around Bella.

"I'm so proud of you! Does this mean you're ready for GROJP?"

"Soon, Alice, very soon. I just need some more time to mourn or adjust or something. Now, I see in the window a very cute blue outfit with trucks on it that just seems to scream George Cullen to me. I think I'd better show up with a gift tomorrow."

"And I hope they deliver because I'm about to become their very favorite customer of the week."

* * *

It was Thursday morning, and Edward was watering his plants. When he'd moved out of the big house four years ago and into his own townhouse closer to school, his mom had hired a decorator. Edward had fired her on the second day.

The woman had been attractive enough, and Edward had briefly considered trying to sleep with her, but she had no taste. She'd arrived with books of wallpaper samples, color schemes, window treatments, furniture suggestions and artwork. Edward had hated all of it. He knew his mom was just trying to be helpful, but Edward wanted to make his first home his own.

He didn't want to give this strange woman free reign in his home. He wanted to pick the carpets and the furniture and hang whatever pictures he picked up from yard sales. He wanted a plain white shower curtain from Target and cheap towels.

When the decorator had arrived the next day with a box of plants and a five-foot tall Peruvian ceremonial mask, Edward had kicked her out. He kept the box of plants.

Miraculously, the plants were still alive. Even though Edward had no experience with keeping anything alive except for his own person. Even though he only remembered to water them once a week, Thursday morning to be exact. And that was only because on Thursdays, the newspaper ran its Home and Garden section, which Edward read while drinking his coffee and eating whatever breakfast he could scrounge up. There was always an article about some plant type or another which would remind him that it was time to play gardener.

Edward had taken about 30 extra seconds that morning to pick out something nice to wear, which made him feel like a girl. He didn't usually care what he wore, especially to work. But, for some dumb reason he wanted to look nice for Bella Swan. Maybe it was part of their whole "let's start over" agreement. New clothes, new personality. Edward scoffed at his own thoughts. He wished he could act like less of an asshole around people.

Ever since his return from New York, it had been hard for him to relax around his old friends and co-workers. Sometimes, he would catch them looking at him with pity in their eyes, and Edward hated it. He didn't want their pity. He didn't want them to remember what had happened two years ago. What he wanted was to go back to the way things had been before "the incident." He wanted the old Edward back. The one that didn't suspect everyone of treachery. The one that didn't flinch when the doorbell rang, wondering who was on the other side of the door. The one that knew how to trust and treat people with kindness and respect.

Edward loosened the tie he'd put on. It was the first time he'd worn a tie in years. In his effort to look nice, he'd dug out a pair of clean cords from the laundry room. He'd given them a sniff, and they didn't smell completely noxious so he declared them clean enough. Plus, he figured his mom had sneaked them in at some point since they were folded. Edward never folded his own clothes, but his mom was good at sneaking his laundry in and out of his townhouse to be cleaned. He wanted to argue with her about his need for privacy, but the benefit of having clean clothes made up the difference.

He didn't know why he was going to so much trouble for the new English teacher. Maybe it was because he'd been able to control his inner asshole around her for a few hours on Saturday. It would be nice to harness that power and use it around other people too, especially his family. He owed them big time and he could start repaying them by acting like a human being again.

Maybe the path to salvation was through Bella Swan. Edward wanted to find out.

He'd hoped that Bella would show up with the group of staff that trickled in and out of Rosalie's room Tuesday night, but she'd never showed. Edward tried not to look disappointed when the last of the staff had left at the end of visiting hours. Who cares if she showed up or not?

Except, when he'd found her at school on Wednesday and watched while she'd twirled a lock of hair around her finger and tapped her fingers on her desk while staring off into space, he'd known that he'd been wrong. He did care, and he didn't like it.

Of course, like an idiot, he'd issued her a half-assed invitation to spend time with him using his nephew as an excuse. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Edward Cullen was not above pimping out his newborn nephew.

Edward felt sick just thinking about it.

He didn't know why he felt compelled to spend more time with her, to talk to her, watch her cute little mannerisms and discover whatever secrets she was hiding.

Regardless of what Emmett said, Edward knew that she was hiding something. He needed to find out what that something was, just to be sure that it wasn't something about him. Yep – definite trust issues.

Edward arrived at school an hour later, and tried to hide the spring in his step. And the smile on his face. And, shit, was he whistling too? Cullen – get a freaking grip. If he could only make it past his brother, he'd be golden for the rest of the day. He wouldn't have to explain why he'd suddenly grown a happy gene and was wearing a fucking tie to school.

Luck was on his side, because big brother was nowhere in sight as he passed by the main office. Edward considered making a stop by his favorite English teacher's room, just to see what she was wearing, but decided against it. So far, Bella had worn pants to school every day. That's why the skirt over the weekend had been a surprise. Yeah, that's why he'd stared at her legs like he'd never seen a girl's gams before. Because the skirt had been a novelty.

Edward really needed to stop talking to himself.

Edward found the music room exactly as he'd left it, which was a vast improvement over the day before. The substitute that the agency had sent over to fill in for him on Tuesday had completely jacked up his room. The chairs had been stacked against one wall, music stands lined up on the other. His piles of sheet music had been alphabetized and shoved into color-coded file folders. The sub had even moved the piano.

Admittedly, Edward would have been the only one to notice that. But he had spent months finding the exact right spot and angle in the room to place the piano it order to maximize its acoustical output.

Everyone knows not to mess with a man's acoustical output.

Edward sat at the piano and lovingly ran his fingers up and down the keys. Everything in this room had been specifically chosen and purchased just to his specifications. But, nothing topped the piano that he'd convinced Emmett that the school absolutely had to purchase.

The Steinway Model M Medium Grand piano, in ebonized mahogany, was clearly a superior instrument. Edward loved it. He'd thought about buying one to have at home for his own private use, but that had seemed like a stupid waste of money. He spent practically all his time at the school anyway – there was no need to buy a second piano. He did have a keyboard at home to use for the rare times that he needed to compose from there.

Lately, he'd been composing a lot. His mind had been quiet for so long, it had surprised him a week ago when the song had popped into his head. He was still working on it, and really wanted to call the guys together so they could piece some more of it together, but it wasn't ready yet. He wasn't ready yet.

But it felt good to have the music back.

He played a piece of the melody, the part that had first come to him, and let the rest of the verses flow out of his brain down through his fingers and through the instrument. The chords and melodies rushed over his skin and seeped back into his pores, and Edward felt that welcome surge of contentment.

Bella Swan had something to do with all these changes he was going through, and he was going to do his best not to fuck everything up.

Thankfully, the day sped by. His music students were the easiest group of students he'd ever worked with. At this point in their musical journey, the kids who were being forced to play an instrument but didn't really want to had been weeded out. Edward was left with the serious musicians: the ones that practiced, took care of their instruments and showed up for lessons.

When the final bell rang, Edward smiled and shoved the last of the trumpet players out the door. He weaved in and out of the escaping horde to Bella's classroom, not wanting to waste another minute of the day.

Outside the door, he nervously straightened his tie and ran his fingers through his hair. A quick sniff of his pits and a breath check reassured him that his body odor wasn't off the charts.

He walked confidently into her room, hoping to find her as excited as he felt.

Instead, she was pinning papers to one of her bulletin boards while talking on her cell phone.

She didn't sound excited about anything. In fact, she sounded a little angry.

She was, however, wearing a dress. Since she had her back to him, Edward took his time staring at her legs again.

Edward hoped that this phone call was going to end soon. He was anxious to talk to her. He felt starved for her attention.

She finally turned around and almost dropped her phone when she saw him. Edward smiled and nodded hello.

"Are you ready to go?" He mouthed at her.

She wasn't saying much to her caller now, just giving them a few uh-huhs and grunts. The crease above her eyes spoke volumes about her mood.

Bella rolled her eyes in response to something that she'd heard, and nodded her head in Edward's direction. Edward watched as she picked a bag up off the floor and swung it over her shoulder, then made her way out of the room, turning the lights off behind her.

Edward stared after her. He tried hard not to feel dismissed, but he was losing that battle. Was it so hard to say hello?

He followed her down the stairs and through the school lobby, out the doors and into the parking lot. She kept the cell phone glued to her ear the whole time and paused only when she realized that Edward wasn't right behind her.

"Hold on a sec," she told whoever was so much more important.

"Edward, do you mind if we ride together? My check engine light came on this morning and I'd really rather not drive the car any more than I have to before I get it checked out."

Edward tamped down the victory fist pump that his muscles were so very much trying to display. He breathed in and regained his cool persona.

"Yeah, sure. I'm parked over here." Edward nodded towards his Volvo. Bella resumed her conversation with Mr. Important (Edward knew it was a man because he could hear the timbre of the caller's voice but not the actual words) and Edward hurried forward to open the door for her.

Edward expected her to end her phone call as soon as they got in the car. Instead, it seemed to turn all that more heated. He really tried to ignore her end of the conversation, but as he drove towards his brother's house, it was difficult to ignore Bella's heated words.

She seemed to be having an argument with someone named Jacob. Edward wondered if he was her boyfriend. Alice hadn't mentioned anything about a boyfriend.

From what he could tell, Bella was giving this Jacob guy instructions on how to cook a spaghetti dinner, but she was clearly doing it against her will. She kept rolling her eyes and told him more than once to Google the instructions instead of harassing her.

Edward thrummed his fingers on the steering wheel while he maneuvered his car in and out of traffic. He wondered if it would be rude to tell her to get off the phone. Probably. But it spoke volumes that he thought about it first before speaking. His brain filter had switched off a while ago, and he hoped that it was making a come back.

Bella finally gave a large sigh, agreed to call this Jacob back later and hung up.

Edward was not going to ask her about the phone call or the guy. None of his business. If she wanted to tell him about it, she would. Except, the seconds seemed to tick by loudly and Edward couldn't stop himself from asking, "Problems?"

"You could say that." Bella leaned her head back against the seat and turned to watch him while he was driving.

"A friend from home is trying to cook for the first time. For some reason, he expects me to stop everything that I'm doing to talk him through it. I don't know why he doesn't just take her out to dinner. That's what he does with all the rest of them."

Ah…she was trying to decipher the male mind. Edward could help her out there.

"He's trying to impress the chick. Plus, providing a home-cooked meal is a great excuse to get a girl in your house. It's easier to put the moves on her that way."

From the resounding silence in the seat next to him, Edward didn't think that his words of wisdom had been helpful. He darted his eyes to the right to make sure she was ok, and was immediately sorry that he had.

Bella Swan had silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Fuck. Edward didn't know what to do with a crying girl. He'd managed to avoid them for most of his adult life, and now he was stuck inside his car with one. He looked from left to right, wondering if he should pull over somewhere. And then what? Comfort her? What did he know about comforting a woman?

Edward cleared his throat, pushing away the lump that had suddenly appeared.

"Bella, I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong? Do you…need something?"

Did he have tissues in the car? Tissues were a good thing to provide, right? He racked his brain, but was pretty sure he'd never bought himself a box of tissues, let alone put some in his Volvo just in case he had a crying female in his front seat.

He watched as she sniffed and swiped angrily at the tears.

"No, I'm ok. Sorry." She sniffed a few times more and turned to stare out the window.

"Do you still want to go to Emmett's? We don't have to do this today." Edward was anxious to get her to stop crying, but wasn't ready to see her leave just yet. He didn't know what to do and it was making him crazy.

Bella took a deep breath. "I still want to go to Emmett's. This will be good. Sorry I've been ignoring you for the past 15 minutes. So, how was your day?"

Edward was more than willing to do his part to end teargate.

"Actually, pretty good. I've got several students who are getting ready to put in college applications to some music schools, and they've asked me to write them letters of recommendation. My kids are a good group this year. Hardly any behavior problems. How about you? Prior to the phone call anyway."

Bella smiled at him, and Edward found it hard not to smile right back.

"Pretty good for me too. I never realized how much I would actually enjoy teaching. But, I really do. It's nice to have a job that I actually like showing up to every day."

They talked easily for the next few minutes, and Edward sent up a silent prayer of thanks that she seemed to relax and stop sniffling during that time. If he showed up at Emmett's house with a crying Bella Swan, he would be immediately blamed and pummeled.

Edward turned onto the street where Emmett and Rose lived, and pulled into their driveway. He looked at their home and tried to picture how it must seem to Bella. It wasn't over the top like their parents home on the lake, but it was definitely a step up from his own townhouse.

Their house sat on a one-acre lot that was professionally landscaped. The home itself was a brick two-story with dormer windows peeking out from the attic. The shutters were painted a forest green that exactly matched the color of their front door. Emmett and Rosalie had bought this house specifically because it had five bedrooms. Edward had teased them that it was because they liked to vary their sexual routine and more rooms meant more fun sexy times.

Truthfully, it was because they planned to fill their home with lots and lots of children. And because they enjoyed having sex in each and every room in their house. But Edward didn't have to talk about it.

As they walked up the matching brick path to the front door, Edward noticed for the first time that Bella was carrying some sort of bag.

"What's that?" He couldn't help being curious.

"A present for the baby. Alice swears that he's in desperate need of a blue wardrobe."

Edward laughed. "Rosalie will be happy to have it. She still hasn't forgiven Emmett for that little stunt he pulled."

"I hope she likes it," Bella said quietly. She looked nervous as he rung the doorbell.

"Bella," Edward waited for her to lift her eyes off her shoes and look at him. "They'll love it."

Bella smiled at him, and just like always, Edward couldn't stop his answering grin. Edward was entranced by her eyes. They were a chocolate brown with flecks of gold. Her eyelashes fluttered down briefly and he wondered if her lashes were as soft as they looked.

Emmett suddenly yanked open the front door and Edward jumped back a little from Bella. He hadn't realized how closely they'd been standing.

"Great! You're here! Come on in. We just got the baby to go to sleep, so keep it down alright?"

At first glance, Emmett looked the same as he always had, but there was definitely something different since the baby had been born. Edward was still trying to figure it out, and he took a few seconds to stare at his brother's face. He didn't see any new wrinkles or hairy moles. He'd figure it out in time.

Emmett led the down the hall and into the family room at the back of the house. This was Edward's favorite room. The back wall was one huge window that let in great afternoon sunlight. Rosalie liked to complain that it made the room "hot as balls" but Edward loved it.

They found Rosalie resting on one end of the sectional, rocking little George in her arms. Edward still couldn't get over how quickly Rose had taken to motherhood. She and Emmett had been together for years, and while he'd been aware of her desire to be a mother someday, Edward had never been able to get past the fact that she was a colossal bitch.

She was harpy, moody, loud, and opinionated. She and Edward had been like oil and water since day one. If he'd known that all it would take to tame the shrew was a tiny human, he would have encouraged Emmett to knock her up a long time ago.

"Edward, you're blocking the fan. Move."

So, some things never changed. Rather than get into an all-out battle of the wits, he obliged her hormone-charged person and stepped closer to Bella. Which wasn't a bad thing over all.

Bella stood quietly next to him, watching Rosalie and the baby. He wondered what she was thinking. All girls loved babies, right? She was probably dying to hold him. Edward had awkwardly grasped his nephew for a few minutes the day before, only to be informed by Rosalie that he was doing it all wrong. Bella would probably be a natural.

Bella walked around the end of the sofa and stood next to Rosalie, gazing down at George with a small smile on her face. Edward watched as she and Rosalie conversed quietly. Rose held her son up, trying to pass him off to Bella, but she shook her head violently and seemed opposed to holding the child.

Edward was afraid that Rosalie was about to get nasty with Bella, but he watched in confusion as his sister-in-law gently seated Bella on the sofa next to her and passed her son over to her carefully.

Bella was stiff holding him at first, but relaxed after a few minutes. Her shoulders dropped a few inches and she loosened her death grip on the baby's blanket.

"Rosalie, he's so tiny. And cute. And perfect."

"That's all thanks to me. Great genes and all," Emmett boomed from the kitchen.

"You wish," Rosalie countered. "He clearly takes after my side. Look at that nose and chin."

"Yes, but check out the dimple. The dimple is what puts him over the top. No one can resist the dimple." Emmett smiled and pointed to his own dimple in his left cheek.

"So conceited," Rosalie muttered, but she was smiling while she said it. She obviously knew the power of the dimple from first-hand experience.

Edward joined his brother in the kitchen. He wasn't surprised to see him cooking dinner. Rosalie had never been much of a cook.

"Sloppy joes?"

"Indeed, my brother. Are you and your girlfriend going to stay for dinner?"

"She's not my girlfriend," Edward muttered to his brother.

"Hmmm," his brother replied. "I'm glad to see you took our little heart to heart seriously. I didn't expect you to jump so far to the other side though."

Edward watched as Emmett stirred the meat mixture.

"I haven't jumped anywhere. I'm just trying not to be an asshole, that's all."

"That's a good place to start. Bella's good people."

Edward sighed, "I've heard this story before."

Emmett cocked his eyebrow. "Alice?"

"Who else? She cornered me at the hospital Monday night. There was no escape. I was forced to listen to the virtues of Bella Swan for two hours straight."

"There are worse ways to spend your time."

"I know. But, I don't need her forced on me."

"It didn't look like anyone was forcing her on you on Saturday."

Edward ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, I don't know what that was about. I guess my way of apologizing. Look, I'm trying here. I really am. But, it's going to take time. If you and Alice vouch for her, then I'll have to accept that she's ok. But please don't try and set us up. I'm not looking for a relationship now."

Emmett nodded his head but didn't say anything else. Edward watched as Rosalie opened the gift that Bella had brought, bringing tears to her eyes.

"She just made your wife cry," Edward whispered. He was curious to see how his brother handled tears.

Emmett didn't even look up from his task.

"If you repeat this, I'll assign you lunch room duty for a month, but she cries all the time now. I stopped trying to banish the tears three months ago. I hoped it would go away once George was born, but man, she's been like a waterfall ever since we came home."

"What did you do before? You know – to stop the crying?" Edward was hoping for an idea to stop Bella's tears should that ever happen again.

"Sex usually does the trick."

Or maybe not. Edward clearly wasn't opposed to thinking about sex and Bella together, but he didn't think she'd appreciate it as an antidote to a crying jag.

Too soon for his own taste, Bella was saying goodbye to Rosalie and Emmett, and Edward was driving her back to the school to pick up her car. When they arrived, Edward stopped her before she could get out of his Volvo.

"Are you sure your car's ok to drive home? I could follow you or maybe we should just go ahead and call a tow truck."

"Thanks, but I'm sure it will be fine. I'm driving straight to a garage that Alice recommended and dropping it off."

"Ok, good. Do you need a ride from there? Or what about school tomorrow? How are you going to get to work?" Edward was afraid he sounded desperate to spend time with her, but he was really just concerned. She was all alone here. He'd be a monster to leave her to fend for herself.

"Alice and I have it all worked out already. Thanks for your concern though." She patted his arm and hopped out of his car.

He waited until she'd started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. Feeling like a stalker, he followed her discreetly until she pulled into a car repair shop a few miles away. He kept going after he recognized Alice's car waiting for her in the lot.

The drive home was quick. Edward nuked a burrito for dinner and thought about Bella. Stupid Emmett had put ideas into his head. Ideas he didn't want there. They sifted in and out of his brain anyway.

She was kind. She was beautiful. She was smart. She was thoughtful. It made him wonder what else he could learn about her. Was she happy here? Did she leave many friends behind? Did she drink coffee? What was her favorite movie? What would her lips feel like pressed against his?

How long had it been since he'd thought about anything besides his own needs? He'd completely shut his family and friends out when he'd moved to New York. He'd thought it was for the best at the time. He was just beginning to think that maybe he'd been wrong.

Edward sat in the dark and quiet of his kitchen, trying not to think about how alone he felt in that very moment.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews make me ecstatically happy. **


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

The beginning of the school year was a hectic time for Bella. The first few weeks had passed quickly, and the school was gearing up for its back to school night. Bella was a hundred times more nervous to meet the parents of her students than she was to teach their sons and daughters.

She'd finally bought some furniture to fill her small apartment, and she loved it. Alice had dragged her to a local store one Saturday morning, and somehow managed to get her furniture for bargain prices.

Bella spent a lot of time with Alice, sometimes dragging Angela Weber along too for a girls' night when Jasper had a football game or a late practice.

She and Jessica continued to work on various body parts and fitness regimes. Bella found that she actually looked forward to the time they spent together in the gym. Thankfully, there hadn't been any more forced entry incidents into her apartment.

And then there was Edward. Bella hadn't spent any more time alone with him since the day he'd driven her to Emmett's house to see the baby. They would say hello to each other if they passed in the hall, or at the weekly staff meeting, but Edward no longer came to her room seeking out her company and Bella had felt strange about reaching out to him on her own.

Plus, she had more pressing matters. Jacob had become unbearable. He seemed to be going out of his way to make her miserable, and she was at the end of her rope. He'd called twice more asking for help with mundane tasks, and they were always to benefit some woman he was trying to sleep with. First he'd wanted to know what kind of wine he should buy to "set the mood." The next time he'd called, he'd asked about flowers.

Bella was seething with jealousy and helpless to do anything about it. It had always been this way. She had no reason to feel jealous now. It shouldn't bother her that he wanted to give some random skank a bouquet of her favorite flowers.

She'd offered her suggestions unhappily both times. Bella wasn't sure what would happen if he asked her for help with a woman again.

It was almost the end of September, and Bella had invited Alice and Jasper over for dinner. She'd eaten at their house several times over the past few weeks, but this was the first time she was able to repay the favor. She was anxious to break in her new kitchen table as well.

It was the last Saturday of the month, and Jasper's team had won their game the night before. Bella had survived her first back to school night, and Alice had successfully convinced one of her most promising seniors that hitchhiking across the country wasn't the best plan for right after high school.

"This kid has had offers from Harvard, Princeton and Dartmouth, and he's asking me about what kinds of tents and backpacks are the most lightweight. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with taking a little time off, but he was planning a five-year trek to Alaska. I had to pull him off that Into the Wild train."

She really liked the two of them and was glad that Alice had found her snoring that day at school. They were fun and Bella felt lucky to have made such good friends so quickly.

They were making plans to see a movie when Bella's phone rang. She looked at the clock and realized it was time for Jacob's daily call. She rolled her eyes at Alice and went into the other room to take the call.

She hoped to keep the call short and sweet. Fate had other plans.

Jacob was drunk. She could practically smell the alcohol leaking through the telephone wires.

"Bells…I miss you," Jacob sang into the phone.

"Jake, please tell me you're at home or at least have a safe ride home." Being the police chief's daughter had drilled certain lessons into her psyche. Getting a safe ride home was one of them, and Jacob seemed to be in need of one at that moment.

Jacob was in need alright, it just wasn't the kind that she thought.

"I'm at home," he slurred into the phone. He sounded wasted. She'd never known him to get so drunk before, but it was difficult to tell his exact level of toxicity over the phone.

"Jacob, go sleep it off. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Bella was concerned, but knew that he'd be ok since he was home.

The voice that she heard next stopped her in her tracks.

"Baby, who you talking to? Come back to bed." Bella could hear the woman clearly, almost as if she was standing next to her. Or on top of Jacob.

"It's just Bella. You know Bella. She's my best friend."

Bella heard a thump like the phone had fallen to the ground and other sounds that she didn't want to interpret.

Oh, God, she couldn't listen to him have sex with another woman. It was bad enough with what she'd already heard. She was getting ready to hang up when Jacob came back on the line.

"Bells, say hi to Lauren. She misses you too."

Holy shit nuggets. He wouldn't.

"Tell me you're not sleeping with Lauren Mallory." Bella's voice was laced with anger now.

"I'm not sleeping with her. We just had sex, but we haven't slept any. Bells, when you coming home?"

"Jacob Black, this is by far the meanest thing you have ever done to me. Are you fucking kidding me? Lauren Mallory?"

Bella rarely cursed. Jacob must have realized the precariousness of the situation.

"You sound mad. Don't be mad. Just wanted to tell you…"

Bella didn't let him finish. She'd had enough. She'd finally had enough. Enough of the heartache, enough of feeling lonely, enough of not feeling free to be herself. She'd never yelled at Jacob before, but she finally let out everything that she'd been feeling but had never said.

"I don't care what you wanted to tell me! I can't do this anymore, Jacob. I don't want to help you pick out flowers for some other girl. I don't want to plan the dinners you try to cook for them. I don't want you to practice your pickup lines on me anymore. I. Want. You. To. Leave. Me. Alone. Don't call me anymore. Pretend like I don't exist. That we didn't grow up together or ever even meet. Because that's what I'm going to do about you. From here on out, you don't exist for me."

Bella was shaking. She wasn't used to emotional outbursts and didn't realize how draining they could be. She felt a sob escape, and was instantly angry. She didn't want him to hear her crying.

"The worst part, Jacob, is that you won't let me go. I don't want to end it this way, but I have to. I can't be your friend and Bella Swan at the same time anymore. It's not working. So, I have to give something up. I choose you. Because you won't give me up. I mean it, Jake, please don't call me anymore."

Bella listened, but heard no response to her pleas. She'd thought he'd fallen asleep, or worse hung up on her, but she finally heard some rustling. But she was done talking, if he had something to say, he had exactly 10 more seconds before she hung up the phone. She would prefer to start crying after that happened rather than before.

"Isabella, shit, I'm sorry." Jacob sounded suddenly sober.

Bella closed her eyes and whispered goodbye to her best friend for the last time. She hung up the phone, wrapped her arms around her torso and fell face first onto the sofa.

Bella sobbed into the sofa cushion, clutching her arms tightly to her body. She felt the big, wet, sloppy tears sliding down her face and into her open mouth but she didn't care. She felt hollow and empty inside. The ache was almost unbearable.

In the back of her mind, she knew that Alice and Jasper were still in her apartment. She heard their chairs scrape against the kitchen floor and the opening and closing of her front door. She tried to feel bad that she was being a bad host, but she was having problems feeling anything at the moment other than her own pain.

Moments later, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her from the back in a strong hug. Bella realized that of course Alice would never leave her. They must have heard the whole conversation. Alice would not abandon her now.

"Alice," Bella didn't know what else to say. She sat up and wrapped her arms around Alice's small body. They sat there, wrapped together, on the sofa for what seemed like hours. Bella's tears continued to fall, but her sobs were silent now. Bella hung onto her like she was drowning and Alice was her lifeline. Alice rubbed her back while the great wrenching sobs consumed her body. Alice whispered reassuringly into her ear, but Bella was oblivious to the actual words, sensing just the meaning behind them.

Eventually, the sobs ended. Bella's eyes and nose hurt from the constant tears and she had the taste of their salt in her mouth. She didn't want to leave the comfort of her friend's arms. She was afraid that they were the only thing keeping her from falling apart all over again.

Bella sniffed and realized that her nose was leaking like a broken, snotty faucet. Before she even moved her arm to just wipe her nose on her sleeve, Alice had a tissue pressed into her hand.

"Please don't ruin your new shirt. We spent hours arguing over it at the store and I don't want to go through that again."

Bella took the tissue and thought about smiling at Alice's joke. That was an improvement at least.

Bella sighed and moved out of their embrace. She looked down at her lap and tore the used tissue into small pieces. She knew what was coming next and was not looking forward to it.

"Do you want to talk about it?'

"No, but I think I'd rather do it now than later."

"What happened?"

"He slept with the only girl I've ever asked him to stay away from."

"Who is she?"

"Lauren Mallory. We've gone to the same schools since we were five years old. She's always been vile to me. In first grade, she dared the cutest boy in our class to kiss me when the teacher's back was turned. Then, she proceeded to tell Ms. Knox that I'd been the one to kiss him. Ms. Knox called my dad and it was this big, horrible, embarrassing mess. Mark's parents switched him to a different classroom just to get him away from me! In fourth grade art class, she dumped an entire container of black paint onto my desk and it ruined my favorite sweater. At our 8th grade dinner dance, she spread a rumor that I was giving blow jobs to all the boys behind the dessert table. Alice – I didn't even know what a blow job was! I asked the first boy that asked for one if it was like a blow pop. I won't even start on the things that happened in high school."

"She does sound pretty vile."

"Jacob," Bella paused when she said his name, it was almost painful to just say it. "Jacob knew how awful she's been to me over the years. I think she was part of the reason I never had any girl friends. It was easier to hang out with Jacob than try to ignore her evilness and influence over the girls at my school. When he started dating the girls in my class, and believe me he dated most of them, I asked him not to date her. I could handle the other girls because I knew that they were just passing fads. He would eventually break up with them and move on to someone new. There was no way I could handle him with her though. Not that I thought she would last longer than the other girls, but it would have been like a piercing knife right through my heart. That's kind of how I feel right now."

"Oh, Bella, I wish I had the right words to say right now. I know it hurts, but it will get better."

"It hurts, Alice. It actually physically hurts. I didn't know it would be like this. I thought I could move away and start over and avoid all this pain. All I did was delay it for a few weeks."

Bella's tears started up again and Alice rocked her through round number two. When she finally came up for air, she realized that Jasper had disappeared some time ago.

"How did you get rid of Jasper?"

"I didn't have to do anything. He knows when to make himself scarce. He took off mumbling about ice cream about 90 minutes ago."

"That's nice of him, but I don't feel like eating ice cream right now."

"Don't worry, that's just an excuse for him to go over to Emmett's. They're probably watching PTI or something. I'll call him when I'm ready to go home and he'll come back."

"He won't say anything to Emmett about…me…will he?"

"No. They're men. They don't need a reason to randomly show up to watch sports on TV."

"Alice, what am I going to do?"

"I'm so glad you asked. First, you're going to take a shower and put on your pajamas. I would suggest watching a stupid, yet funny, movie next but I see that you still don't own a television. Instead, I will regale you with stories from my childhood growing up next to the Cullen's. You will eventually become bored with said stories and send me home. You will go to bed and wake up tomorrow feeling refreshed because I will be back for you at 10 am sharp for brunch."

Bella wished it was that easy. "That's not what I meant."

Alice's eyes softened when they looked at her. It made Bella feel not so bad anymore.

"I know. But that's what you're going to do for now. There will be plenty of time for the rest of it later."

"Alice Whitlock, you're a good friend."

"Yes, I know this. Now, off to the shower."

Bella let her small friend push her down the hall without any resistance. She felt numb, but maybe that was for the best. It would be good to just exist for a few hours without much effort. She closed the bathroom door and started the shower.

* * *

Alice had never been so glad to be married in her entire life. The relief she felt made her want to call Jasper and agree to do that thing that he's wanted to try for years. She hated to see Bella in so much pain. But, she wasn't going to let her wallow forever. A few days at the most. This was really for the best.

She really wished that she could fly to Forks and kick that Jacob guy in his knees. No, that was too good for him. She'd borrow Rosalie's gun, fly out there and shoot him in the knees. Alice wasn't sure how she'd get the gun through airport security, but the end result would be so satisfying.

Alice sat down on Bella's sofa, the one they'd picked out together a few weeks ago, and wondered not for the first time why her friend didn't have a TV. Who didn't own a television? Bella Swan, that's who. Bella kept saying that she was going to buy one, but it hadn't happened yet. Maybe Alice would buy one for her for Christmas. A nice 46" plasma. She'd pull the fundage out of her private account. The one she kept hidden from Jasper.

Not that he didn't know of its existence. He just didn't want to know the account balance. It was the remainder of her trust fund. When they'd gotten married five years ago, he'd made her promise not to use her trust fund except for dire emergencies. Jasper, bless his manly heart, wanted to support them on his salary from coaching the boys' football team at nearby Bear Lake High. Alice hadn't cared much about giving up the life style in which she'd been raised. So long as she had her Jazz, she would have been happy anywhere. She'd started working when it became apparent that Jasper's salary wasn't going to support them even in the life style in which he'd been raised. Alice didn't mind working; she loved her job in fact. It was just icing that she got to work at Cullen Academy.

Alice pulled her phone out of her purse to text her husband. She wasn't going to leave Bella alone tonight, so there was no sense in having him hang out at Emmett's all night. She would send him home with dirty thoughts to look forward to.

Alice wondered how the baby was doing. He was a month old as of yesterday. She pictured George's chubby cheeks, pudgy little legs, and sweet smile. She tried not to think about how she should have been almost at the end of her own pregnancy by now. She should have been sitting at home, eating beef jerky wrapped in cheesecake, or some other disgusting combo, while Jasper rubbed her feet and told her how beautiful she was even though she looked like she'd swallowed a basketball.

She and Rosalie had been so excited to be pregnant together. They had planned tons of fun things to do together with their kids. Alice had planned to take the year off from school, and she and Rose would take their kids to the park together, and to the play gym, and out shopping every day. It would have been wonderful.

Instead, Alice had miscarried in her third month. She and Jasper had been devastated. The worst part had been telling their families, friends and co-workers. It's so much easier to spread happy news than it is bad.

Fortunately, Alice had a positive outlook on life. She took two weeks to heal her body, mind, and soul then jumped right back into life. They'd decided to wait a while before trying to get pregnant again.

Alice truly believed that things happened for a reason. For example, take Bella Swan. She wouldn't have met Bella at school that day if she'd been sitting at home, pregnant to her ears and eating bon-bons. They might have crossed paths at some point, but Bella was so reserved, Alice wasn't sure that they would have taken notice of one another.

Bella needed her. She was so strong and independent in her own right, but she needed an extra push to fully realize her potential. Alice was there to help her reach full Bella potential, she just knew it.

The first step was to help her with this Jacob problem. Just as Alice had known, Bella hadn't needed much help when it came time to nip that problem in the bud. She was going to need help in the aftermath though. Alice would be there for her in her time of need, just like her family and friends had been there for her in her own time of need. Paying it forward.

Alice wandered down Bella's hallway towards her bedroom. She realized that the shower had cut off a while ago, but she hadn't heard Bella moving around any. Alice was concerned.

She knocked softly on Bella's door and called her name. No response was forthcoming. She quietly turned the knob and let herself into Bella's room. Bella was not in sight, so Alice headed towards the bathroom door.

The light was on, but Alice didn't hear any movement from inside the room. She pressed her ear to the door and that's when she heard the quiet sniffling. She knocked on the bathroom door, but Bella still didn't answer. Alice bucked up and braced herself for a possible naked Bella sighting.

She quickly opened the door and looked around expecting to find Bella standing somewhere nearby. The sniffles were coming from the direction of the shower, but the curtain was drawn shut across the tub.

Alice called Bella's name again, and the sniffles became louder. When Alice pulled back the curtain, she found Bella curled up on the floor of the tub, wrapped in a blue towel and crying her little heart out.

It was so painful to see her like that.

"Oh, Bella. It's going to be alright."

"Alice – it hurts. Why does it hurt so much?"

Alice climbed into the tub and wrapped her arms around Bella. Yeah, her ass was going to get a little wet, but it didn't matter at this point. The only thing that mattered was Bella.

"It hurts because loving someone isn't easy. And if it is easy, then it's not worth it."

Bella turned her face to look up at Alice. Her eyes and nose were red and she had giant snot bubbles coming out of her nose.

"I don't know if it was worth it though," Bella whispered.

"Oh, honey, you won't know for sure right away. The only thing you can do now is give it time. You're going to hurt for a while, but you're going to move past this. Eventually, you'll fill in the spaces in your heart with other things. In the meantime, you've got me and Jasper, and that Jessica girl you workout with, and Angela, and Emmett and Rosalie, and even Edward to help you with the rough spots."

Alice momentarily regretted mentioning Edward. It was better to have Bella get used to the idea of Edward being a part of the plan now though. That way, she wouldn't fight it so hard when the time came for him to play his part. Alice anticipated great things from the youngest Mr. Cullen. He was not going to let her, or Bella, down.

They sat in the tub together until Bella's tears finally dried up. Alice tugged her out of the tub, not without some effort, and pointed her towards her pajamas and the bed.

Bella turned to her just as she was heading down the hall towards the living room.

"Alice, please don't leave me. I don't want to be alone."

"Bella, I'm not going anywhere. I'm here for you."

Bella smiled for the first time in hours and closed the door.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

It was a week into GROJP, and Bella felt horrible. Not horrible in that "I've made a huge mistake and I hope he's not mad at me" kind of way. Physically horrible. Part of the blame could be laid at the tiny feet of Alice. The rest of it could be blamed on the super viruses that so frequently are passed around when a couple hundred humans convene in the same close quarters day after day. Bella was coming down with a cold.

At the moment, Bella was on her way to game night at Emmett and Rosalie's. Last night had been girls' night at a restaurant in Sheffield. The night before had been Rock Band at Alice and Jasper's. Bella was exhausted.

"Alice, I'm so tired," she tried explaining to the small woman who had muscled her out of her apartment moments earlier. Jasper had been waiting at the curb, car running, after she'd been dragged from her home. Bella was giving him the evil eye in the rear view mirror but he was singing along to the radio and ignoring her.

"What did I tell you? I warned you last night to go home and go right to bed. You ignored me, didn't you? How much did you get done before you went to sleep?"

Bella had made the mistake of telling Alice about her bed-time ritual of working the paper's crossword puzzle before she went to sleep. It relaxed her body and soothed her mind. She couldn't go to sleep now without trying at least part of the puzzle.

"The whole thing," she now replied. It wasn't her fault that it had been exceptionally easy yesterday and the words had popped effortlessly into her mind. Before she realized it, an hour had gone by. She did need to clarify one thing though.

"That's not why I'm so tired though. I'm telling you, there's something going around school. My throat's scratchy and I've got this awful headache. Please just let me go back home and sleep it off."

"There is no cheating during the first two weeks of GROJP. You must actively participate each and every night. Have you heard anyone else complaining? No – I didn't think so. Suck it up, Swan. This is for your own good."

Bella was tired of hearing that phrase. She really did appreciate all of her friends' efforts over the past week, but she didn't know if she could do this for another week. As part one of GROJP, she'd been dragged out after school every night to participate in a "fun group activity" as deemed by Alice.

Unfortunately, Alice's ideas of what were fun group activities weren't always her own. The first night had been innocuous enough: a slasher movie. Lots of screaming, gore and bad acting. The next night had been questionable: the school's own Invitational Chess Club Tournament. Though, Bella thought that had been more Jasper's idea that Alice's. She'd seen him taking notes while she'd yawned and checked her watch every 10 minutes. Fortunately, the tournament had been followed by ice cream sundaes at The Pier. That part, Bella had enjoyed.

The third night had been the most baffling. Alice had collected her promptly at 6 and driven her across town to a yoga studio. Bella had never tried yoga, and was concerned that she wouldn't be the best candidate due to her balance issues. Inexplicably, moments after they'd gotten out of the car and headed towards the building, where Bella could clearly see through the plate-glass windows that a class was just beginning, Alice had changed her mind and dragged her back to the car. Alice had driven them back to her own home and disappeared, leaving a concerned-looking Jasper to try and entertain Bella.

When Alice resurfaced, she had changed her clothes and refused to answer any of Bella's questions. She and Jasper had done their secret communication thingy by staring into each other's eyes for a long period of time, and Alice had returned to normal.

They'd spent the night making an apple pie from scratch. They'd set off the smoke alarm and Bella had dropped the bowl with the filling mixture on the floor, but they'd managed to bake an edible pie at the end of the night. Bella's hands smelled like apples for two days afterwards.

At the moment, Bella was considering just closing her eyes and letting the sleep that was clawing at her eyes win the battle. Surely, Alice wouldn't wake a sleeping Bella just to play a round of Monopoly?

Of course she would, Bella thought 15 minutes later when Alice shook her shoulder, hard, and demanded that she get out of the car. Such a pushy, tiny person she was.

Fortunately, Emmett and Rosalie seemed excited to be hosting the festivities. Bella couldn't stay mad at Alice for too long after that. Though, she was pretty tired and thankful that she could sleep in the next day. Fridays were one of the greatest days of the week. Only to be followed by Saturday and Sunday.

Bella was still adjusting to the Emmett that she found when she socialized with him outside of school. Over all, he acted pretty much the same as he did at school, but when she saw him outside of school, he seemed so much more relaxed and care-free. It must be such a relief for him to get away from all the pressures of the school for the weekend.

Rosalie brought them drinks as they settled around the kitchen table, several board games out and being discussed. Bella tried not to stare at Rosalie's rapidly-disappearing figure. She was amazed at how quickly she seemed to be returning to her pre-baby figure. Emmett seemed appreciative as well, though he did a good job of hiding the lecherous looks he sent his wife.

Alice and Emmett were arguing over whether to play "Balderdash" or "Pirates of the Caribbean Life" when the doorbell rang. Bella looked around at the occupants of the table and counted off the members of the group. All seemed to be present and accounted for. Bella then noticed that an extra chair had been added to the table. She wondered who else was coming moments before she heard the click of Rosalie's heels on the hardwood floor and a quiet voice speaking in reply to her proffered greeting. She'd know that voice anywhere.

Bella shouldn't be surprised that Edward would be invited to game night at his own brother's home. She felt nervous though as she watched him round the corner and say hello to everyone. So far, the people who had participated in Alice's "fun activities" had all been active participants in GROJP, which meant they had all heard the sorry, sad tale of how Bella had told her best friend to take a hike and broken her own heart in the process.

This wasn't something that she wanted to share with Edward Cullen. Forget about the tentative truce they had going on. Bella was just plain embarrassed about the whole thing. She felt so sad and pathetic about it, really. She didn't want Edward to think of her as sad or pathetic. She moved here for a fresh start, and she wanted just one friend who didn't know about Jacob. Edward wasn't exactly a friend, more of an acquaintance. But, it was a start. He would be the one person that she saw and spoke to semi-regularly who wouldn't look at her with pity in their eyes as they watched for the tell-tale signs of a Bella crying spell.

Edward caught her eye just then, as he settled into the empty chair next to her. Bella smiled in response and attempted to act as normal as possible. She was really hoping that no one had told Edward about Jacob.

"Have you ever played this game before?"

Edward glanced at the table trying to figure out which one they were going to play.

"I don't usually play board games at all, so no." His shoulder shrug spoke volumes about his ambivalence towards game night.

"So, what are you doing here then?" Bella's radar was out and on high alert for any suspicious GROJPing activity coming from his direction.

"You don't say no to Alice. She called, I came. Besides, I think my ass was becoming glued to my piano bench. It's good to escape sometimes."

Bella was instantly intrigued. She'd been wondering what he'd been up to for the past month. She'd only seen him a few times at school.

"Have you been playing a lot?"

"Composing mostly. I've been jamming with my band too."

"I didn't know you had a band." No one had mentioned it before. She shot a look at Alice. Alice had told her all about Edward Cullen, or so she thought. But she'd never mentioned a band. "What kind of music do you play?"

"Jazz."

"I don't know much about jazz music." Bella hated to admit that. She felt like a small-town hick sitting at this table, surrounded by her friends' obvious wealth. She didn't like feeling like she was in a separate social class from her friends. She wondered where those thoughts came from though, because it hadn't bothered her before. Even when she'd been at the Cullens' lake-side mansion, she'd never felt out of place. Why did she feel that way now?

Emmett was sitting on Bella's left, and he suddenly seemed very interested in their conversation.

"His group is awesome. Edward's being modest about his music. He writes most of what they perform, though they haven't performed out in public in a long time. Do you have any gigs coming up, Edward?"

It was difficult to tear her eyes away from Emmett's face. He looked so excited and…hopeful. It made her curious. He was very intent on Edward's response.

Bella turned to Edward and found him frowning at his brother. That really wasn't unusual, but he seemed nervous.

"We might have something in the works. I'll let you know if something concrete comes up."

"Edward, that's awesome! Why didn't you tell us?" Alice asked. In fact, the entire table was now engrossed in Edward's response.

Edward played with the pile of place mats that Rosalie had placed on the edge of the table to make room for the game boards. Bella watched as his long fingers played with the artfully frayed edges of one of the mats. He seemed to be choosing his words very carefully.

"I was waiting for the right moment."

Emmett stood up and walked to the refrigerator. "We need to celebrate. Rosie, where are the champagne flutes?"

Edward's head popped up quickly. "No, don't make a big deal about this. It's nothing. Come on."

"Edward, shut up. Let us have this moment with you." Bella was surprised to see that it was Rosalie speaking these words to Edward. She'd only known her for a few weeks, but she'd never seemed particularly supportive of her brother-in-law. In fact, Bella remembered that it was Rosalie who had gleefully told her about his disastrous audition to a music conservatory in St. Louis that he'd wanted to attend. Apparently, Edward had been so nervous that he'd forgotten the music that he'd supposedly memorized to play and thrown up all over the school's piano. Rosalie had laughed for 10 minutes straight telling that story.

But now, here she was, forcing champagne into everyone's hands and making a toast to Edward's success. Bella had only just begun to try and figure out Rosalie, but she was going to have to start over from scratch now. The woman was a total mystery.

They finished the bottle quickly and Emmett set up the "Balderdash" game. Bella figured that she'd be pretty good at this game since she was an English teacher and self-proclaimed master of the English language.

What she hadn't counted on was the skills of Emmett Cullen. Emmett's depths were not a surprise, but she had no idea he'd have such a way with words and making everything he wrote so believable. He was a master in the art of trickery.

Several hours later, he was dancing around the kitchen, holding a candlestick he'd grabbed from the dining room like it was a trophy and proclaiming himself to be the "King of all board games."

Bella had to laugh at his silliness. There was something so infectious about his joy. She briefly wished that his brother could be more like him.

"Do you see now why I don't like board games? He always wins and is obnoxious about it." Edward had leaned over to whisper in her ear. Bella tried not to notice the warmth of his breath on her ear or the tingles that shot down her arm in reaction.

She turned to respond and found that her nose could almost touch Edward's. He hadn't backed away immediately like she thought he had.

Bella sucked in a quick breath and leaned back a few inches. Her nose was assaulted by the champagne on Edward's breath and something else…something deep and rich that must have been Edward's own scent. She was momentarily stunned. Would he notice if she leaned back in and breathed again? Most likely.

"That would probably get on my nerves too after a while."

Edward continued to stare deep into her eyes, and chuckled after a moment. He leaned back in to whisper in her ear.

"Did you know that your eyes have flecks of gold? I've never seen anything like it before."

Bella felt her heart pound and the tell-tale warmth spread across her face. Was Edward flirting with her?

"I…uh…" Bella stammered. How were you supposed to respond to that? Bella didn't get the chance to think it through because Alice decided that it was time to go home.

The thing about Alice was that she didn't leave like a normal person. Once she decided that it was time to go, you left. There were no lingering goodbyes to your hosts. No chance to stare at their sexy, younger brother on your way out the door. One moment, you were sitting at the kitchen table, the next you were in the back seat of Jasper's truck with no recollection of moving from point A to point B.

"Alice, what was that? I didn't even get to say thank you." Bella reached into her purse to pull out her cell phone to call Rosalie. She was embarrassed by Alice's frantic departure.

"Put your phone away. I thanked them for you while you were busy ogling Edward."

Bella's face felt like an eruption had occurred. "I was not…"

"Bella it's ok. Edward was doing most of the ogling anyway. No one else noticed."

"I noticed," Jasper replied. Bella frowned at him in the rear-view mirror for the second time that night.

"That's because I have you trained. You're like a crack ninja team member. You're my number two in case I fall behind."

"Alice, baby, I am definitely your number one."

Alice sighed in defeat. "Yes, my big, strong husband. You are my number one." Bella heard her mutter something about a fragile, male ego.

Bella wanted to get back to the ogling that Edward was apparently doing, but the moment seemed to have passed. Bella didn't care what Alice said. She had not been ogling him. Ok, so, she'd had a brief moment where she'd wanted to suck his very essence in through her nose, but that didn't count. Definitely not.

Bella did remember something else important that she wanted ask Alice about.

"You didn't tell Edward about Jacob, did you? He's not part of GROJP, is he?" Bella crossed her fingers and hoped that the answer was going to be no.

"Bella, how long have you known me?" Alice asked as if the answer to her own question was silly and obvious.

Bella was not reassured. She'd only known Alice for several weeks. She was full of surprises and Bella thought she was capable of almost anything.

Alice sighed as Bella stared her down from the backseat.

"No, I have not told Edward about Jacob. I'm leaving that for you to do."

"Thank you Alice." Bella was relieved. She was not, however, going to tell Alice about her plan to never tell Edward about Jacob. What did that matter to her anyway? If he wasn't in on GROJP, then he didn't need to know.

They dropped her off at her apartment with a promise to call the next day with plans for Saturday night.

"Alice I'm disappointed in you. Why don't you have it planned already?"

"I did, but something else has come up instead. I'll call you tomorrow. Start looking through your closet now though. I have a feeling you're going to want to look extra nice tomorrow night. And Bella?"

Bella turned back to the truck. "Yes?"

"I'm glad that your 'cold' is gone."

Bella waved goodbye and realized that Alice was right. Her throat wasn't sore anymore and her headache had disappeared. She didn't know what magical cure had been thrust upon her person, but she felt good.

Bella pondered the next evening's activity as she got ready for bed. She didn't have anything "extra nice" in her wardrobe. When she'd left Forks, she'd brought her wardrobe of t-shirts, jeans, 2 skirts, a couple sweaters, and the work clothes her mother had sent. Bella didn't enjoy clothes shopping, but figured it was time to update her clothes a bit. Perhaps she could get Jessica to help her pull something together after their morning work out. Bella smiled as she thought about Jess's predictable response.

***

Jess met her at the gym at 8:30, and was more than happy to take her shopping after lunch.

"My friend Tyler owns a shop nearby. He'll have tons of stuff that's perfect for you."

Bella had been hoping for a quick trip to Kohl's or Macy's. A boutique didn't sound like a quick trip.

"I don't know if that's what I really had in mind, Jess. I just need something nice, not too dressy."

Jessica put down the weights she'd been using to work on her biceps. Or were they working on their triceps? Bella could never remember the difference.

"Bella, trust me. He'll have something perfect. So, do I get to come too? I'm part of GROJP – I should be invited to all the activities."

Bella grimaced and thought about the sticky situation Jessica had just presented. Truthfully, GROJP was becoming more of a social club than a plan to get Bella's life back on track. Alice took care of the planning for all the events. Bella was just told when and where to show up. Bella wasn't privy to guest lists or invitations. She wondered how long this stage of the plan would continue. Not that she minded spending time with her friends, she was just so tired.

"I'm sure you can come too. Alice is going to call me later with details. I'll let you know once I hear something."

"Excellent. I hope we do something awesome like going to that new club downtown. Marcus was telling me about it yesterday when he came into the bank…"

"Wait, who's Marcus?" Jessica had mentioned a wide range of men during the few short weeks that she'd known her, but Marcus was new.

"He's one of my customers. He owns a jewelry store on Maple. He's Italian." Jessica whispered the last like it was a secret.

Bella watched her face as she talked about Marcus. She could tell that this man was different from the usual ones she gushed about. Bella had never seen her look so…smitten…before.

"You really like him, don't you?"

"God, Bella, he's so hot. He's not very tall, but he's got this dark curly hair and his accent is to die for. He's so polite and old-fashioned and he's driving me crazy. I've tried all my best moves on him, but he still hasn't asked me out. I totally flashed my bra at him yesterday and he barely looked at my boobs."

"Does the bank allow you to date customers?" Bella wasn't sure that this guy sounded all that great, but she really didn't want her friend to get in trouble at her job.

"Who cares about that? Did I mention his eyes? They're blue. So blue. Gahh…"

"Maybe you should ask him out." That sounded like good advice. Bella had never asked anyone out herself but Jessica did it all the time. Daily, almost.

"Bella, I can't do that. I just told you that he's old-fashioned. I'd probably offend him or something."

"Maybe that's the problem then. Your boobs must be offending his gentlemanly sensibilities. Cover those puppies up on Monday, and ignore him when he comes in."

"Cover my boobs?" Jessica asked like she'd been told to grow a tail and jump over the moon. "And why would I ignore him? I want him to know that I'm interested."

Bella felt like she was on a roll. She had this Marcus guy all figured out. If only all men were so easy.

"That's the problem. He needs some mystery. You're giving him the whole kit and caboodle. Make him work for it."

Jessica jumped up and gave her a hug.

"You're a genius!"

"Well, I try."

Bella watched as their neighbor worked out nearby on something that looked like a Bowflex. Bella hadn't tried that machine out yet, but he made it look easy. She still didn't know much about the man, other than he liked his i-pod and worked out every day. They always said hello but never spoke other than that. He was pretty fit for a man his age, and Bella wondered not for the first time how he spent his days. Did he have a family? Was he retired? What brought him to their little apartment community? This reminded her of something she wanted to tell Jessica.

"Guess who came to game night last night?" Bella really needed an outside opinion about Edward. Jessica would be perfect.

"Who?"

"Edward Cullen."

"Edward Cullen?" Jessica practically screamed. Bella stared back at her in terror. She sounded much too excited at the mention of his name.

"You've never mentioned him before. Do you know who he is?"

"Of course I know who he is. We work together."

"No, Bella, he's the most eligible bachelor in the state. I didn't realize he'd come back though. This changes everything." Jessica was practically foaming at the mouth and rubbing her hands together conspiringly.

Bella was not surprised that Jessica was interested in Edward only as potential marriage material.

"Come back from where?" Bella was confused. Had he gone somewhere recently?

"Oh, you wouldn't know since you're new. I don't even know all the details. He was in New York for a couple years. Something happened and he moved there for some reason – I really don't remember. Anyway, he shows up in the society pages all the time. They follow him like he's a rock star or something. He's gorgeous. Is he as hot in person?"

Jessica was really a fount of information this morning. Alice had never mentioned that Edward had lived in New York. Bella wondered what he'd been doing there. And why had he moved? He seemed so close with his family…but then she remembered conversations she'd had with both Emmett and Alice, back when she'd first started work. They'd both implied that Edward had suffered through something and wasn't acting like himself. That might explain his strange behavior towards her all those weeks ago. Well, not really. He hadn't needed to take whatever anger he had out on her. But, she was happy to see that the old, angry Edward had disappeared for the most part. She liked the one she'd seen recently much, much better.

"Hello? Earth to Bella." Jessica was waving her hand in front of her face. "Where did you go?"

Bella laughed. "Sorry, I was just thinking."

"About Edward's hotness, probably."

Bella couldn't stop the blush that spread across her body like wildfire.

"See? I knew it. Bella's hot for teacher."

"No, I wouldn't say that. He is…attractive though."

"Yeah, whatever Bella. He brings hotness to a whole new level. I can't believe you've never mentioned him before."

They spent the rest of their work-out discussing the merits of flirting with a co-worker. Jessica was all for it, but Bella was hesitant. She didn't have much practice with flirting. And what was the point? She had no delusions about dating Edward. She certainly wasn't ready for a relationship and Edward could barely stand her presence. The whole conversation was moot.

They met back up later that afternoon and headed down the street to Jessica's friend's boutique. Bella had never spent so much time shopping for one dress. She did have to admit that the dress they found was perfect though. The dress was a teal-colored silk, with a black criss cross across the bodice. A matching ruffle peeked out at the hem. Bella also bought a black jacket since the dress was sleeveless and it was October. The nights were just plain cold now.

Bella managed not to laugh at Jessica's purchases of the day. She bought five silk blouses, all the same style but in different colors. They were long-sleeved and buttoned up to a high collar. The finishing touch was a giant bow that would rest on her shoulder after it was tied. It looked like Jessica was going to follow through with her plan for her Italian suitor after all.

Alice had called during their shopping trip with details for the evening. She hadn't minded Bella inviting Jessica along at all. She'd actually planned on calling Jessica next. Bella and Jessica were going to be picked up at 8:00 sharp. Alice refused to reveal any more details, but she did mention that they would have dinner out. Bella was eager to see what Alice had planned. She and Jessica vibrated with excitement for the rest of the afternoon.

At 7:45, a limo pulled up in front of Bella's apartment building. She watched it through her peep-hole admiringly. She'd never ridden in a limo before. And this wasn't a regular limo, the kind some of her classmates had rented for their senior prom back in Forks that barely held 8 people. This limo was massive and shaped like a tank. It probably held 15 people at least. Bella watched as the driver hopped out and ran around to the rear passenger door to let someone out. Bella gasped when she recognized the woman who hopped out.

"Alice! A limo? This is kind of ridiculous." Bella practically shouted when her friend made her way to her door.

"Bella, it's completely necessary. We've got too many people to ride in one of our cars together and besides, we're celebrating tonight." Alice grabbed her hand and dragged her down to the curb. Jessica was standing next to the massive vehicle with her mouth hanging open.

"Alice – you are the best. I've been dying to ride in one of these."

"I know, but you shouldn't really thank me. Climb on in and we'll talk about it on the way there."

Bella was the last to climb in and was surprised to see that the limo was almost full already. She sat on the bench next to Alice, Jasper and Jessica, but she looked around and saw Emmett, Rosalie, Angela and a man Bella hadn't met before, and three of her co-workers that she recognized and their presumed dates.

Alice made the introductions as the limo pulled away from the curb and took them towards their mystery destination. The man seated next to Angela was her date, Ben Cheney. Bella remembered then that Angela had mentioned something about him the other night when they'd gone out. The other co-workers in the car were apparently old, close friends of both Emmett's and Edward's. Emmett mentioned something about them going through school together, but Bella didn't know if that meant high school or college. It was hard to follow the conversational thread when there were 14 people involved.

Bella did learn that the limo had been Emmett's idea.

"We have to do tonight in style, Bella. We're celebrating!"

Bella looked around and realized that everyone else seemed to know what the evening's plans were. It made her a little mad.

"Alice, are you going to tell me now what we're doing?"

"No, I'm not. It's a surprise. You could use a little more fun in your life so you're going to sit back and enjoy the ride."

"At least tell me where we're going." They seemed to be on the highway now, so they must not be staying in Bear Lake.

"We're going downtown."

Jessica let out a squeal next to her. Apparently, Bella wasn't the only one who'd been in the dark.

"I haven't been to Chicago yet," Bella admitted.

It seemed as if all the passengers in the vehicle got quiet at once.

Rosalie spoke first. "It's about time you took a trip then. And we're the perfect tour guides."

Of course they were. Everyone started telling their favorite part of what to see in the city. Some mentioned the Navy Pier, someone else mentioned the Field Museum, and Angela mentioned Magnificent Mile.

Bella cocked her head at her friend.

"What? I sometimes enjoy shopping at expensive stores. So, sue me."

Bella laughed and let her muscles relax. It felt good to be with people who enjoyed her company. She liked being with all of them too.

An hour later, the limo pulled up in front of a restaurant in the heart of the city. Their group slowly piled out and followed Emmett to the maitre d'. They were swiftly led to a private room in the back.

Bella marveled at the décor. She didn't know how to describe it, but it wasn't like any restaurant they had back home in Forks. They sat around a large circular table, with chairs padded in thick, red fabric. There was little in the way of lighting in the room, but what there was seemed to be coming from the table itself. A pale glow emanated from the centerpiece, creating a wide circle that stopped just short of their place settings. The walls were adorned with what seemed to be artwork by M.C. Escher. Each was highlighted by a bar of soft light that hung above it, like you would see in a museum.

Their server quickly arrived with menus and took their drink orders. Emmett ordered several bottles of champagne. Bella mentally added up the amount of cash she had in her handbag. She hadn't brought a lot, but she also hadn't known what they would be doing tonight. She looked at her menu, but didn't see any prices. She felt a moment of panic.

She leaned over to whisper to Alice. "I many need to borrow some cash. I don't think I brought enough to cover my dinner."

"Don't worry about it. It's my treat. And if it's not my treat, then it will be Emmett's treat. We always fight over the bill."

Bella had not been raised to have so many expensive things lavished upon her person. She felt very uncomfortable.

"Alice, I have to pay for myself. I have the money just not…"

"Shut up, Swan. We've got you." This came from Rosalie, who was seated on the other side of Alice.

Bella huffed and sat back. She'd eventually find a way to pay them back.

Dinner was enjoyable. No, Bella was lying. It was the best dinner she'd ever had. Time seemed to pass like sand in an hourglass. She laughed and chatted and didn't once think about Jacob. The food was excellent, even if she had stuck her nose up at the caviar.

Several toasts had been made, to George's health, to Jasper's football team's continued success, to Jessica's buttoned-up blouses. The toasts got a little ridiculous as the champagne was drunk and the evening wore on. The final toast was the most memorable.

Emmett toasted his brother, and Bella thought she saw a tear in the corner of his eye as he was speaking. She wondered for the first time why Edward hadn't come with them. She thought he'd enjoyed himself the night before, but he had mentioned that he'd been busy composing recently. She felt a little disappointed that he hadn't been able to come along.

It was 11:00 when they stumbled out of the restaurant, and Bella had the distinct impression that their evening wasn't over yet. Bella watched her friends walk down the street and turn the corner. As usual, Bella was the supreme master of the observant.

"Where are they going? Where's the limo?"

Alice gave her a small push towards the same corner that their friends had just disappeared around.

"The limo won't be back for another couple hours. We have another surprise. You're really going to like this one – trust me."

Bella knew that she could trust her. Alice hadn't been wrong yet. She yielded to Alice as expected and stumbled after everyone else.

They turned the corner, and Bella saw…nothing. Their friends had disappeared and their side of the street looked deserted. She didn't see any window-fronts or signs. There was one lone door encased in the brick wall. It was small and red, and Bella had a bad feeling.

"Please, not a pool hall. I'm no good at pool. Jacob took me once, and I almost unmanned one of the truckers playing at the table behind us. I mean, seriously, he had to go to the hospital and rumor was that he almost lost a testicle."

Alice laughed and doubled over from the pain of it.

"That is why I love hanging out with you. You have the craziest stories."

"Thanks." But Bella was still nervous.

"Not a pool hall. It wouldn't be fair for us to play against Emmett anyway. He always wins."

Of course he does, Bella thought to herself.

Alice pulled open the heavy-looking door with ease, and Bella followed her into the darkness.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Here's the big reveal. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer. **

The door led to a set of stairs. A set of very long stairs that led down into the darkness. There were wall sconces along the wall that provided a small amount of low-level lighting, but this didn't ease Bella's nerves.

"Alice, I may trip on these steps. I don't walk very well on flat ground, and these stairs are treacherous."

Without a word, Alice reached back and grabbed her hand. She slowly dragged Bella down the stairs, stopping every few feet to make sure she had her bearings.

When they reached the bottom of the staircase, they faced another door. This one was also wood, but the top half was frosted glass. Alice opened it and walked in like she owned the place.

"Have you been here before?" Bella asked curiously.

"Once or twice," Alice replied cryptically.

Any conversation after that would have been impossible.

A wall of music and voices hit them as they entered the room. She squinted in the darkness towards the source of the music, which seemed to be a well-lit stage at the end of the room they were standing in.

Alice dragged her closer to the source and Bella looked around the room with sudden comprehension.

"We're here to see Edward, aren't we?" she shouted to Alice.

Bella was pretty sure that Alice hadn't heard her, because she kept moving forward, like an arrow towards a bulls-eye.

They passed several small, crowded tables. Bella waved to Angela, Ben and Jessica who had found some seating along the right side wall of the club. Directly opposite was the small bar, where she found Emmett and Rosalie talking with the bartender. The rest of their group were spread out throughout the club, seated at tables for two. Seating was at a premium this night. And from what Bella could hear, with good reason.

As she'd told Edward the day before, Bella didn't know much about jazz music. Charlie hadn't listened to very much music at home, and he'd never been interested in supporting the local arts community. Bella had listened to mostly pop music, or whatever else was playing on the radio in her truck, going to and from school. Jazz seemed sophisticated and cool.

Alice finally stopped at one of the larger tables placed closer to the stage. Jasper was seated there, already clearly enjoying the music. His attention was riveted on stage and his leg was bouncing up and down in time to the music.

Bella sat down in the chair that Alice pointed to, and her eyes were immediately drawn towards the stage. It was bathed, inexplicably, in a soft purplish light. There were five men on stage, all playing different instruments, but Bella was only interested in the piano player.

Edward sat on the piano bench, facing towards their table. She could just see his head over the top of the piano, and his eyes were deeply concentrated on the keys of the instrument. There was a sheen of sweat on his forehead, as if he'd been working hard, or sitting under the lights for a period of time. His entire body seemed to vibrate with the music that shook the room. Several times she thought he might kick his seat back and stand up to play, but he always bounced right back down to his seat each time instead.

Bella was captivated by the sight before her. This was a part of Edward she never would have imagined existed. She'd seen him play that one time, in the music room at school, but that had been completely different. He'd been involved in the music that he'd been playing, but it was controlled and sweet almost. This was Edward out of control and almost animal-like. Bella couldn't take her eyes off him.

Emmett nudged her arm as he took the seat next to her, waggled his eyebrows and grinned maniacally. He leaned in to yell above the music, "They're awesome, right?"

Bella could only nod in response.

The song soon ended and the club erupted into applause. Bella watched as Edward finally lifted his eyes from the keyboard and took a look around the club. She cringed back a little, trying to hide behind his brother. She suddenly felt a little out of place. Would he be happy to see all of them in the audience?

Edward's eyes landed on Emmett first, and he grinned and shook his head. His eyes passed around the table, but immediately bounced back to Bella's face. His smile widened and he waved towards her, shyly almost. Bella waved back and fought down the threatening flush of red to her face. Her eyes stayed riveted on his person as he looked around the room and nodded a greeting to a few other people.

Emmett leaned across the table to answer a question that Jasper had asked. Bella shook her head and tried to concentrate on the conversation around her.

"You know I have my ways. He should have known better than to try and keep it a secret. He's just lucky I didn't call our parents. They would have been sitting in the front row with a sign or some shit."

Emmett crowed for a few moments longer about his detective skills until the band started up again. It was another fast-paced number, this time with more of a swing beat.

Bella looked around the room at all the people who appeared to really enjoy the music. She tried not to stare, but it was hard not to get caught up in everyone's obvious enjoyment. Edward's group seemed to be really good, but she wondered why it had all been a secret.

Edward's talent was obvious, so why did he want to hide this performance from his family? Why did Emmett have to go behind his brother's back to plan an outing to come listen to him? Why did it seem like this performance was something that didn't happen very often, or at least not recently?

Bella had a lot of questions, but didn't think she'd be getting answers any time soon.

She listened to the sax player's solo and watched as he parried with the trumpet player. They went back and forth like a tennis match, trying to out-do the other. It was mesmerizing.

She soon discovered that it was nowhere near as mesmerizing as watching Edward perform his solo. He banged on the keys like he was having an angry conversation with them. The hidden strings reverberated back and Edward would bang some more. His hair was slick now from the grueling task of the performance and chunks of it kept falling over his eyes. He was oblivious to it all. The music had captivated him and Bella felt…something…inside of her at the sight.

It was just a small little something, totally unfamiliar, but it was strong. Bella felt her heart pound and her pulse race. She didn't know what this was, but she was going to save it in her mind for future reference. Into that special place where she locked all the important memories: driving lessons from Charlie, the feel of her mother's hair on her cheek, the smell of First Beach, and now this.

This feeling, whatever it was, was too precious to ever forget. It would be ingrained on her mind for years to come and she wanted to memorize everything about the moment.

Much too soon, the song was over and the band filed off stage to take a break. Bella watched Edward make his way to the bar for a glass of water before walking back towards their table.

She'd never seen him so happy before. Ever.

Emmett stood up when Edward reached their table and grabbed him into a bear hug.

"I don't know which one of these jerks you got to squeal, but they're out of the band." Edward hitched his thumb towards the other band members who were lingering by the bar.

"Stop being a girl. If you'd manned up and told us last night, we wouldn't have been forced to sneak in like we're transporting moonshine."

Now that the band had stopped playing, canned music came in more quietly through the speakers. Bella's ears were still ringing, but she could keep up with the conversation much better now.

She watched as Edward went around the table, shook Jasper's hand and pulled both Alice and Rosalie in for a hug. He spent several more minutes speaking to Alice quietly before he made his way over to Bella.

Bella stood when he reached her seat, unsure as to whether she would get a handshake, a hug, or neither.

Edward reached his arms towards her briefly, but then shoved his hands into his pockets.

"I'm glad you could come."

"You're really good," Bella told him, trying not to be disappointed about the aborted hug.

"Thanks, we've been practicing for a couple weeks. Joey was afraid we wouldn't be ready tonight, but I think we've been holding our own."

Bella scoffed. "The crowd loves you! And I'm really impressed."

Before Bella could say anything else, she felt a nudge at her side and a stomp on her foot.

"Hi! I'm Jessica. You are just so unbelievably awesome! How do you manage to not fall off your stool?"

Bella listened as Jessica flirted with Edward for a few minutes. Jessica never took a breath and didn't require any responses to her questions so Edward remained silent for the most part. Jessica twirled her hair around a long, slim finger and shook her ample cleavage at Edward every time she breathed. Bella looked down at her own modest cleavage, which was mostly hidden underneath her sweater. She wondered if her boobs ever shook like Jessica's. She decided probably not.

Deciding that she'd had enough booby shake for the night, she turned to get another drink from the bar. She'd tried the martini that Rosalie had bought for her earlier, but hadn't liked it very much. She really just wanted a glass of water.

A hand on her arm stopped her. She followed the length of the arm up to meet's Edward's green eyes.

"Can I get you something from the bar?"

Bella looked to where Jessica had been standing moments ago, but she had disappeared. She had assumed that they would be engrossed in one another for a while.

"What did you do with Jessica?"

"I pointed out that there were a few Bears players sitting in the back of the bar, she said goodbye and took off like a shot," Edward chuckled.

Bella shrugged. "I'm not all that surprised. I was just going to get a glass of water."

"Wait here. The line at the bar takes forever, and I can probably get it faster for you." He held his hands up like they were stop signs, turned quickly, and maneuvered his way through the packed-in crowd.

Bella sat back down and watched as he chatted amicably with the bartender.

"Are you having a good time?" Alice had traded seats with Jasper and was sipping on something pink and fruity-looking.

"I am! This is so much more fun than a pool hall. Thank you for inviting me."

"No thanks needed. You're the reason we're here anyway."

Bella was confused. Hadn't they come to support Edward? She asked Alice that very question.

"Yes, but he's just the excuse. This week has been all about you. Let me ask you – how many times have you thought about Jacob this week?"

Bella didn't want to think about Jacob at all, especially not tonight, but if she was honest with herself, the number was surprisingly low.

"I don't know. We've been so busy, and I've just been falling into my bed each night exhausted."

"Exactly. We've all been working hard this week to make sure you don't think about him so much anymore. Tonight's original plan had been to go bowling, but when Emmett found out that Edward had a gig tonight, we cancelled those plans and here we are! We are Jacob-free for the 7th night in a row, and you're doing ok. Bella Swan – you're going to be ok."

Alice looked so smug and all-knowing. It made Bella a little jealous – she wished she had more of her confidence and blind faith that things would work out for the best.

Bella leaned in so she wouldn't have to yell over the sounds of the bar. "I don't feel ok all the time." Bella hated to admit it, but she felt weak. She'd thought about calling Jacob just the day before. She'd only resisted because she had a feeling that Alice was checking her outgoing call log when she wasn't looking.

"Honey, I know. And you're allowed to feel that way. But, I want you to promise that you'll keep looking forward, and not back."

Bella watched as Edward made his way back towards their table, balancing two drinks above the heads of the crowd around him. He seemed so confident and in control.

"Forward. Got it."

"That's my girl," Alice patted her arm and smiled at Edward as he gave Bella her water.

"Cutting back on your liquor intake, Bella?" Alice teased as she watched Bella sip her water through a straw.

"You're one to talk. Is that your second or third Shirley Temple?" Edward pulled an empty chair up to their table in between Bella and Alice.

"It's my first, thank you, and I'll have you know that this drink is a classic."

"Yeah, classically loved by little girls everywhere," Emmett snickered from the other side of the table.

Bella thought back to the day she met Alice, when she'd downed six beers in two hours. It seemed strange that she wasn't drinking any alcohol tonight. It wasn't like they needed a designated driver.

Alice caught her puzzled expression and scooted her chair closer to the table. She was also tearing her cocktail napkin into little pieces. Was Alice nervous about something?

"What's in your next set, Edward? Any pieces we'll recognize?" Alice was obviously trying to deflect attention back off herself, but Bella wasn't fooled. Alice was up to something. She just needed to figure out what it was.

"Maybe one or two. There's a new piece I'm trying out first though. It's just the piano, so don't be too disappointed."

"Bro – how could we ever be disappointed in you?" Emmett ruffled Edward's hair in a show of brotherly affection that Edward definitely did not appreciate. His lips pursed and he glared at Emmett for a few moments.

"I can think of a few ways. Well, I'm off to tame the savage beasts." Edward pushed his chair back and bounded back towards the stage.

As soon as Edward hit the stage, the canned music cut off and the stage was bathed in the same purplish glow as before. This time, Edward was the only musician on stage.

Bella realized for the first time that there were several microphones on stage, most situated to better carry the sound of the instruments. Edward pulled one nearest the piano close and spoke into it.

"I wrote this piece fairly recently and this is its debut. I hope you enjoy it." There was some light applause as Edward pushed the mic back and flexed his fingers over the keys.

Bella listened as Edward played the keys, manipulating them more precisely, into a series of discordant phrases, each more angry and out of control than the next. The tempo was quick and chaotic, and it was almost painful to hear. Suddenly, one of the phrases changed into a river of notes, still playing over the angry chords from before, but slowly taking over, changing the chords into something beautiful. The tempo evened out, and while it was still fast, it had a discernable pattern. Edward played the melody out and his fingers seemed to fly over the keys. The song slowed down its frantic pace, keeping the same melody, but now the chords were pleasant to the ear.

Bella, again, was captivated. Edward was so talented – what was he doing teaching music? He could be playing professionally. Bella had the sudden thought that she really had no idea who he was. He seemed to have some secret that everyone was trying to hide – did it have something to do with his music? With why he wasn't pursuing it as a career?

Bella's mind was so full of questions that she almost wanted to write them all down. Alice had some explaining to do.

Edward's song ended, and the applause was deafening. Edward half-stood off his piano bench and gave a wave to the crowd. He seemed more comfortable, though, after the rest of his band jumped on stage and they moved into the next piece.

They stayed until the end of Edward's final set. Bella couldn't remember the last time she had so much fun. The music had been phenomenal, and she'd felt so relaxed and just happy.

They waited as Edward gathered some things from the stage and came over to talk to them.

"Edward, don't hold out on us anymore. It was good to see you up there again."

Edward shook his brother's hand and promised to tell him about their next gig.

"Can we give you a lift home? We've got plenty of room," Jasper asked. Jasper had been a surprise. He'd been the most involved in the music, even jumping up several times and stomping his feet throughout much of the performance.

"Thanks, but I'm going to help pack up, then I'm crashing at Shake's."

Bella watched as he greeted the rest of their party, offering handshakes and hugs all around. Bella really felt like the outsider now. She'd earned neither. Well, except for Jessica. Edward had gone around the table in the other direction when he'd come across her and offered only a small wave.

Finally, he was standing in front of her.

"Thanks again for coming."

"Edward, it was my pleasure. You really are incredible. I mean, your music is incredible."

Bella was positive that she was blushing. Darn her fair skin.

Edward chuckled quietly before he cocked his head at her.

"Well, goodnight Bella."

"Night, Edward."

Before the words were even out of her mouth, he'd wrapped his arms around her body and dragged her in close to his own. Bella placed her own arms around him, trying not to think about how small her hands felt compared to the broadness of his back.

She had just settled into the strong contours of his body when Edward released his grip and turned to walk back to the stage.

Bella could only stare after him.

What was that? That small spark, yes definitely a spark, was back in her gut. Bella hadn't needed to file the memory away for safekeeping after all. She'd had no idea it would be so easy to replicate.

Bella blinked and found Alice staring at her again, with a smirk on her face.

Bella could only shrug and say, "What?"

"Please. I'm going to ignore your pitiful attempt at innocence."

"Alice…"

"Don't Alice me. Now, the limo's waiting. Am I going to have to hold your hand going up the stairs too?"

Bella sighed, "Probably not. I rarely stumble up the stairs."

They made their way to the waiting limo, passing Jessica who was giving out her phone number to not one, but two men. Apparently, some things never changed.

Bella settled against the leather seat and was glad for the warmth of the waiting vehicle. It was very early in the morning and very cold outside. She leaned her head back against the seat and shut her eyes, hoping for a small nap on the ride home. She wanted to grill Alice about Edward before she forgot all her questions.

Bella didn't open her eyes again until Alice was shaking her shoulder and trying to push her out the open door.

"Wake up sleepyhead, this is your stop."

"Hmmm…" was Bella's only reply. She didn't like this dream much. Pushy Alice was not one of her favorite characters.

Bella felt a pair of arms pulling her out of the limo and helping her up the steps to her apartment. She opened her eyes and smiled into Jasper's face.

"You're so nice, Jasper. Alice is lucky she found you."

"Are you sure she's not drunk, Alice?"

"I'm positive. She gets this way when she's tired. Where are her keys?"

"Handbag," was Bella's muffled reply.

Alice sighed in exasperation. "I know that – but I can't find them. I see a wallet, a lipstick, hello Mr. Tampon, some Tic-Tacs, your cell phone – hey you missed a call – and ha! Your keys." Bella heard the jangling of her keys and assumed that they were being waved in triumph.

Bella was barely awake enough to function, but Jasper and Alice managed to get her inside and tucked into her bed, still fully clothed.

They left with a promise to call the next day.

Bella fell asleep quickly, but it wasn't a comfortable sleep. Sounds and words and thoughts swirled around in her brain, and she woke an hour later, feeling very unsettled.

Bella felt like she'd missed something important, a piece to a puzzle that was just out of reach. Her entire body ached from the lack of sleep and the excitement of the night, but as she punched her pillow and tried to go back to sleep, one word popped into the fore-front of her sleep-addled brain.

Call.

Alice had said that she had missed a call. On her cell phone.

Bella jumped out of bed and headed down the hall, in search of her bag. She didn't know who would have tried to call her. Everyone she knew or knew her number had been with her all night long. She'd talked to Charlie just that afternoon, so he also knew that she would have been out and unreachable.

Bella, as usual, jumped to conclusions, and worried that something had happened to her dad. She looked at the clock, geez, 4 am didn't usually feel so awful, and allowed for the time difference in Forks. Only 2 am there. It wouldn't be too awful if she had to call him back now.

Bella found her bag and dug out her phone. Alice was right – one missed call. Bella pushed the button to bring up the number missed, and almost dropped the phone.

Why did bad things have to happen just when she thought they were getting good?

More importantly, why had Jacob called her?

**A/N: I just love the idea of Edward banging away on the piano. Yum. Ok – you know what to do. Review review review!**


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

Bella really only had one major slip over the course of the past week. Alice had found her at lunch time, hiding in the second floor ladies room, locked in the last stall. Bella thought that she'd been pretty good about sneaking away and keeping quiet, but somehow Alice had known exactly what she'd been doing and how to find her.

She'd spent the rest of their lunch break talking to her through the door. Bella hadn't wanted Alice to see her crying again. Afterwards, she'd splashed water on her face and gone back to her classroom. She was thankful that her lesson plan for that day called for an oral recitation project from her students.

For the most part, Bella hadn't dwelled on the hurt from the whole Jacob situation. In fact, it had been quite freeing to let go and move on. That's exactly what she felt like she was doing for the very first time: moving on.

It was time – well past time, in fact. She had a whole life to live and she was excited. There were so many things to explore and discover. Never before had she felt like she had so many options, and she wanted to try everything. She wanted to learn how to make pottery and how to paint. She wanted to go on a cruise. She wanted to try karaoke. She wanted to *gulp* date. Yes, she could admit that now. She wanted to try dating. Men. Men who were emotionally available. Well, eventually. She'd get there…someday.

In the meantime, she felt like she'd woken from a deep slumber. Her whole world had begun to brighten and shimmer. She had smiled and spoken to the other English teachers at their department meeting. She'd actually called Rosalie and asked to visit with the baby again.

Bella wasn't used to reaching out to other people. It had always been so much easier to hide inside her own bubble and exist, with just her dad and Jacob to keep her company. She thought that she'd been content.

The past few weeks had shown her how wrong she'd been.

So now, here she sat, alone in her living room at some unholy hour of the morning, curled up on the couch that she'd made Jasper drag up a flight of stairs, trying not to cry again.

He didn't deserve any more of her tears. He didn't deserve any more of her hurt, her love, her utter devotion. She was done with him. He should be done with her too.

Bella wasn't going to wonder why he'd called. Bella wasn't going to speculate about his motives.

Bella was going to pretend like he'd never called. That way, she could go back to having the brightness and the shimmer in her life. Bella was in full-on GROJP, and nothing was going to hold her back anymore.

Triumphantly, Bella took out her cell phone, scrolled to the missed calls log, and deleted the first one listed.

Bella felt like celebrating. But, her brain began shutting down again and she yawned loudly. The celebration would have to wait until later.

* * *

Bella slept until noon. She stretched languidly in her bed and basked in the laziness of the day.

No one was coming by to take her shopping today. No one was going to her force her into uncomfortable clothes. In fact, Bella was going to spend the entire day in her favorite pair of sweatpants – the ones that said "Forks High School" down the left leg.

"Take that world!" she felt like yelling. Bella was going to be lazy, comfortable, and do only the things that she wanted to do all day long.

By 2:00, she was bored silly. She'd gotten dressed, made a sandwich, walked to the corner to buy a newspaper out of the machine, read the newspaper, and painted her toe nails blood red.

Bella didn't do bored so well.

She did have some quizzes to grade, so she dragged those out of her briefcase. That only took an hour, and Bella was getting desperate.

She finally broke down and called her dad.

He sounded surprised to hear from her.

"Heya Bella. Everything alright? We just talked yesterday." She heard him turn down the sound of the TV in the background through the phone. She felt all mushy and warm at the thought of her dad kicking back and enjoying his lazy Sunday too.

"I know – I just wanted to see what you were up to today."

"You know better than to ask that question – the game comes on tonight. I'm watching SportsCenter."

Of course he was.

"Um…have you talked to Jacob recently?" Bella wanted to take back the words as soon as she'd said them. She hadn't meant to ask about him. But, it just popped out before she could stop it.

She hadn't told her dad about the whole break-up thing yet either. It was hard to explain. How do you break up with someone you were never with in the first place?

Besides, she was really afraid that Charlie would be "disappointed" in her if she told him what had happened. She didn't need any more guilt added onto her plate, thank you very much.

"Not in a couple days – not since the move anyway."

Move? What move?

"Dad, what are you talking about? Who moved?"

"I thought you knew – Jake moved up to Port Angeles this week. Sam got the garage open early and Jake had to go up to get the shop ready."

Bella had forgotten all about his big promotion. Jacob had mentioned it that one time and never brought it up again. Bella had pushed it to the back of her mind.

"Oh…I didn't realize that was happening so soon."

"Like I said, Sam was able to push the sale through faster than he first thought. Jake's living in the apartment above the shop. Sounds like it's a pretty good set-up too. I'm surprised he didn't mention it to you. It's all he's talked about all week."

Crud – what to do now? She couldn't lie to her dad.

"Actually, Dad, we're not, uh, talking. I asked him not to call me anymore."

Demanded had been more like it, but her dad didn't need to know all the gory details.

"What? Why would you do that Bella? You know how much he misses you," Bella's scoff was audible through the phone, "AND that boy has been like a brother to you for your entire life. You don't turn your back on family."

Bella had hoped that Charlie would be more understanding.

"Yeah, well, sometimes that's just not enough. There was only so much I could take and it was finally too much. So, that was it."

Her dad paused and his voice turned threatening. "Did he do something to hurt you?"

If only he knew. "Yes, but not how you mean. Ugh, Dad, this is so awkward. Do I really have to spell it out? He hurt my feelings and I told him to leave me alone. I'm fine now, or at least I'm on my way there, but Jacob is not going to be a part of my life for the foreseeable future."

Charlie was quiet and Bella was afraid that she'd gone too far. She didn't want him to be mad at her. All that talk of family allegiance was more than she could take.

"Alright, Bella. I'm here for you if you need to, uh, talk or anything."

Great – now her dad wanted to turn into Dr. Phil. He'd never been known for talking about his feelings. It was almost laughable to think that he could start now.

"Thanks, Dad, but I'm good. I've got some pretty great friends here who make all the difference."

"I'm glad, honey. Any other bombshells to drop today?" Her dad was clearly anxious to end their uncomfortable phone call. Bella was glad that they could agree on something.

"That's it. I'll call you later in the week."

Bella hung up with her dad and thought through what he'd told her. Jake's move might explain his attempted call the day before. Then again, he could have just been screwing some faceless blonde and calling to rub it in her face again.

Resolute about her earlier decision, she put all thoughts of Jacob from her head and tried to plan the rest of her day.

Bella called Alice, but they had a short phone call. Alice wasn't feeling well, and all GROJP activities were being put on hold for the day. Bella offered to bring over some soup to put her friend on the speedy path to recovery, but Alice just wanted to sleep.

Not used to having time on her hands, Bella spent the rest of the day and evening reading and relaxing. She finally managed to get to bed fairly early too, and she slept a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

* * *

Cullen Academy's cafeteria was an average institutional eatery. The walls were painted a pale, mint green. The floor was all semi-shiny tiles that reflected the glow of the fluorescent lighting from above. It had that lingering odor of generic cleaner, old vats of over-cooked meat, and sweaty teenagers.

Bella spent as little time in there as possible. Just enough time to pick up a salad from the lunch line, pay for it, and make her way through the crowd to the teacher's lounge.

On an average day, it took her about 7 minutes to make it from her classroom to the teacher's lounge. She knew because they only got 42 minutes for lunch, and every minute counted. She'd whittled down her all time high of 15 minutes to the current 7 in just four days.

On this particular day, the lunch break gods were not on her side. Bella had been standing in line for an extra 3 minutes already, and it looked like the jerk that was holding up the line was going to take a few minutes longer. She probably shouldn't refer to the captain of the football team as a jerk, but she didn't feel too bad since no one could read her thoughts.

"What a jerk," came a familiar voice from behind her.

Bella jumped a little, wobbling her precariously-held tray of salad and iced tea.

"Ok there, Bella?" Bella felt a firm hand on her elbow and her tray stabilized from the added support.

"Yeah, I'm good, but should you really be calling Jeremy Dalton a jerk?" No need to mention that she'd thought the same thing.

Edward chuckled. "From what I've heard, he's earned it. Come on, let's get out of here. Hasn't anyone told you that teachers don't have to wait in line?"

Bella followed after Edward, watching as he carried his own tray of pizza slices, a can of soda, and a package of cookies. He did it with such ease, it made Bella feel clumsy and awkward in comparison.

She watched as he handed some money over to the second cashier, the woman who usually stocked the snack line. Bella didn't know that she doubled as a cashier. This opened up a whole new world of possibilities. She practically drooled at the thought of shaving even more time off her lunch room time. Bella followed Edward's example, and they were out of the line and on their way to the lounge in no time at all.

"Edward, I think you're my own personal savior. I didn't know there was a second cashier. This is such great news."

"It doesn't take much to make you happy, does it?"

"Not in this case." Bella smiled at him as he opened the door to the lounge and ushered her inside.

Bella usually ate alone. Not necessarily because she was anti-social, but more because she liked to read during her lunch break. It was good to have those 35 minutes where she could disappear from the school for a while.

Today, it seemed, she would be eating with Edward. He tossed his head towards the last empty table and they each took a seat.

"I've never seen you in this lunch before, Edward." Bella would have pulled her nose out of her book, at the very least, if he had ever made an appearance in the teacher's lounge.

"I usually eat in the music room. I've got a couple students who like to hang out there instead of in the cafeteria, and it's better if they're supervised."

"I didn't realize your music students were such behavior problems."

"They're good for the most part, but they can't be left alone. I found that out the hard way when I first started teaching."

"But you're not afraid of leaving them alone today?"

"Ah…I always lock my room before I come down here to grab some lunch. They'll survive eating in the cafeteria for one day."

Bella liked talking to Edward. He was smart, but he didn't talk down to her. He was so interesting too. Bella felt a small piece of that sparky feeling return to her chest while they chatted and ate their lunches. She wondered what it was.

It was almost time for the lunch bell to ring when Emmett busted through the door to the lounge and swiveled his head around, stopping only when it landed on Edward. He looked at Bella too, but seemed unsurprised to see the two of them together.

"Edward, care to explain why there are 30 band students sitting in the hallway outside your classroom, tossing a football around and disturbing the class that's in the library?"

Edward eased out of his seat, and moved to throw away his trash, taking Bella's with him on the way.

Walking past her on his way towards the door, he leaned in and whispered, "This was the best lunch I've had all year."

Bella smiled and nodded her head in agreement. Sitting next to Edward beat reading a book any day of the week.

She watched Edward pat his brother on the back and explain the complex relationship that he had with his students, and more specifically, the need they had to express themselves freely.

Bella imagined that he would have no problem talking himself out of whatever reprimand Emmett had planned.

That week, a familiar pattern emerged. Bella went out each night with various members of GROJP, but the outings were smaller this time. A bar one night to watch Jasper compete in a darts contest. Bella stayed far away from the pool tables. The bookstore the next for an author meet and greet, which was Bella's favorite. Dinner at the fondue place, the art museum, and a comedy club soon followed.

These outings became more and more uncomfortable though as the week progressed. It became clear that Alice was trying to hook Bella up with someone – anyone, really, because she didn't seem picky. She threw all sorts of men at her, and Bella was left trying to be polite but discouraging their advances. The entire set-up made her extremely uncomfortable. Yes, she wanted to try dating at some point, but she didn't feel ready just yet. Plus, the men that approached her never seemed genuinely interested in her. Her breasts? Yes. Her butt? Sometimes. What she had to say? Not at all.

The worst part was having Alice, Jasper, and whoever else had tagged along stare at her the whole time, and then spending the inevitable tense car ride home dissecting her every move.

There was only so much friendly criticism that a girl could take.

The other pattern that emerged over the week was her lunches with Edward. Emmett had put a temporary ban on eating in the music room, so Edward had taken to eating lunch with her in the lounge instead. Every day, Bella would find him saving "their" table in the lounge, and they would talk and laugh about almost everything.

She learned more about Edward that week than she'd ever discovered from Alice. They talked about their families and the differences between growing up in Forks and growing up in Highland Park. Edward told her his funny college stories and Bella shared her stories about student teaching at her own alma mater.

Edward talked about his backpacking trip through Europe, and Bella talked about the sporting goods store she worked in, briefly, during high school.

They never seemed to run out of things to say. Bella couldn't remember the last time she'd gelled with someone so well before.

Bella started wearing skirts to school. Edward started wearing sweater vests.

The following week, Alice joined them for lunch one day. And she wasn't alone. She'd brought the physics teacher with her.

Edward glared at him and Bella tried to be interested in his theory on absolute time.

Alice didn't look surprised when Felix asked for her number after Edward had left for the music room. Bella had no reason not to give it to him, but she still didn't feel good about it.

"I don't want to lead him on Alice," she told her friend later that afternoon, curled up on the frayed couch in the guidance office. "But, I have zero interest in him. He seems nice, but I honestly don't think that we have anything in common."

"That's because you haven't given him a chance. One date – that's all I'm saying. It's not going to kill you."

"Just bore me to tears," Bella muttered under her breath.

"When was the last time you went on a date?" Alice demanded.

Bella didn't know how to respond. Hanging out with Jacob had never counted as dating, no matter how much she wanted to pretend otherwise. Men had never seemed interested in her, prior to her move to Bear Lake anyway.

"I had coffee with one of the guys from my teaching class, um, about 8 months ago." That counted, right?

"Coffee doesn't count."

Bella hated it when Alice read her thoughts.

"Ok, then, I don't know. It's been a long time. That doesn't mean that I'm so desperate that I'll go out with every man who asks me."

"You made that perfectly clear last week."

"What does that mean?"

"Bella, I threw ten different guys your way last week, and you ignored all of them. I'm getting desperate. I don't know what you're looking for."

That was a good question. What did Bella want? She wanted to be respected. She wanted to be valued. She wanted a man who was confident, but not cocky. Someone who had similar interests, but varied enough to make things interesting. She wanted to feel protected, but not smothered. Most importantly, she wanted to love and be loved in returned.

Bella was afraid that her perfect man didn't exist.

"Do I have to go out on dates? I'm happy. I don't feel incomplete."

Alice walked over and wrapped her arms around Bella.

"I know that, and I'm not going to make you go out with anyone if you don't want to. But, would you at least think about it? Felix isn't so bad, once you get to know him. Just one date."

Bella sighed in defeat. Sometimes, there was no use fighting Alice's wishes. She seemed to always get what she wanted.

"Fine. If he calls me and asks me out, I'll say yes."

"That's my girl."

Bella had a feeling she'd be getting a call as soon as she got home.

* * *

It was Wednesday, so it was Hot Pocket dinner night at Edward's townhouse. The pepperoni ones were his favorite, but the store had been out of that flavor, and he'd been forced to settle for cheese. Couldn't go wrong with cheese though.

Edward kicked his feet up on the overturned potting plant he was using as a footstool and flipped through the hundreds of TV choices he had at his fingertips. Nothing grabbed his attention.

Edward was feeling restless. He had the feeling that there was something he should be doing, but he didn't know what it was. Not like picking up the dry cleaning or paying the bills. Something important. He just didn't know what it was.

When the doorbell rang a short time later, Edward figured it was fate coming to find him. He knew there was something on the horizon; he just hoped it didn't bite him in the ass like it had the last time.

A smiling Alice hugged him and pushed through the doorway before he could blink.

"Please, do come in," he said sarcastically, knowing she wouldn't take offense. They'd known each other for too long for that.

"You're always happy to see me. Besides, I bring you a gift from my husband. Turkey chili is still one of your favorites, correct?"

"Thank God. I'm not going to starve today after all." Edward always had room for turkey chili.

Alice eyed the empty box in his trash and raised her eyebrow. "It looks like you've already eaten."

"That was a snack. Give me the bowl, woman, before I tackle your skinny ass."

"Jasper would kill you if you touched any part of my ass."

Edward had no doubt that her husband would retaliate in some way if that ever actually happened, but he didn't think he'd necessarily come out the loser. Edward had some moves of his own.

Edward snatched the bowl away and dug in with the spoon he'd already grabbed from the drawer.

"Sit, before you give yourself heartburn. I know that you have table manners. You've been giving Bella demonstrations for the past week."

Edward grunted and continued to eat. The chili was really good, though not as spicy as he usually liked it. He'd text the chef later to share his cooking tips. Jasper would love that – not.

When he came up for air, Alice was sitting in the chair next to him and drumming her fingers on the table top.

"That was gross." She glanced pointedly at the stains on his shirt and the globs of cheese on the table.

"What? It's just you and me." Edward realized what had been bothering him since her arrival. "Where's your partner in crime? The two of you have been joined at the hip for weeks." The few times he'd talked to Alice recently, he'd been able to hear Bella laughing and talking in the background. Not that he was keeping track.

Alice smiled and Edward felt like he'd just discovered the real reason for Alice's visit.

"Bella's on a date."

Edward carefully kept his face like a blank mask. It was best not to show any emotion to Alice in these types of situations. She would nag and pick and break down his every facial tick until he was a sagging lump of skin and bones. He breathed in deeply, willing away the spark of anger he felt at her revelation.

"So, do you want to watch TV? There might be a good movie on." Edward put his bowl in the sink and returned to the living room couch. Edward knew how to play Alice like a fiddle. Sure enough, she flounced indignantly into the room two minutes later, with her hands on her hips.

"I know what you're doing, Edward. It won't work with me. Why don't you tell me how you really feel about Bella going out on a date and we'll make it all better."

Edward hated that she was doing this. He didn't want to be jealous of the nameless, faceless, soon to be dickless, asshole that was out with Bella. Alice wasn't going to let him hide from it though.

"Fine." He spat out, truly angry now. "Who is Bella out on a date with? And I know it's all your fault, Alice Whitlock."

Alice smiled triumphantly and settled on the couch next to him.

"That wasn't so hard. She's out with Felix Harris. He took her to dinner. She's going to call me as soon as she gets home."

Edward tried to place the name, but came up blank. Alice said it like he should know the asshole.

"Felix who?"

"He's the physics teacher. You had lunch with him today."

The pieces finally clicked into place. He was the weasely guy Alice had brought to lunch. Edward couldn't believe that Bella had gone out with him though. She'd seemed just as bored with him as Edward had been.

"He's too old for her. And boring as hell. I'm surprised she's not home already." How long did a dinner date last anyway? One hour, two tops.

"It is a school night, but if they hit it off, then she could be staying out later than I expected."

Edward saw red, but blinked and cleared his vision. He didn't have any claim to Bella. She could do what she wanted.

He picked up the TV remote and flipped to the first movie he could find. He was not going to spend any more time thinking about Bella and Felix what's-his-name.

"You like her don't you, Edward?"

Damn Alice and her intuitiveness.

"She's alright." Edward was going to make Alice suffer, just like he was.

"Please don't turn this into a "like" versus "like like" conversation. I know you, Edward. We're not in the 8th grade anymore. You can tell me if you're interested in her."

"So you can run off and giggle with her about me?" Edward wished that she'd brought something other than chili now for dinner. It wasn't sitting well in his stomach and making him feel strange.

"You know I won't do that. What I will do is try to help you. We just want you to be happy. It's been hard for us too, you know, while you were away. Knowing that you were so sad and angry, and not being able to do anything about it. But since Bella came around, you've been different. More like the Edward we used to know and love. Before Tanya…"

"Don't say her name." Edward gripped the armrest of the sofa tightly. She knew better than to say that girl's name in his presence.

"I'm sorry for what she did, I really am Edward. We all are. Emmett handled the situation the best way he knew how and your lawyer said…"

Edward jumped up. "I don't want to talk about this now, Alice." What was wrong with her? Had he ever mentioned a burning desire to discuss this with her? If he wanted to talk to someone about it, he would go to that damn shrink his father kept trying to push on him.

Alice sat back down and bowed her head. She looked so sad and defenseless. Edward regretted the momentary return of the asshole.

"Alice, I'm sorry. But, please, I can't talk about that."

Alice nodded her head, but the look in her eyes made it obvious that her assent was only temporary.

"Is Bella taboo too?"

Edward sighed and gave up. There were only so many battles he could fight at once.

"I like her. I wouldn't be averse to spending time with her alone away from school and our prying friends and family."

"Spoken like a true romantic. You should ask her out. Before her social calendar fills up."

"You don't give up, do you?"

"Not in this case. Now, I have a feeling that we're going bowling Friday night. You should come. Start working up the nerve to ask her out."

"Fine."

"Don't look so mad about it. Bella's a great girl. She really has made a difference, Edward. You probably don't see it, but the rest of us do. She's good for you."

Edward watched Alice leave and thought about how very wrong she was. Edward saw the difference and it brought to mind the feeling he'd felt earlier, which he'd tried to blame on the chili. It was fear and Edward didn't like it.

* * *

Bella was still steaming about the botched date with Felix Friday night when they arrived at Lucky Lanes. Alice was being less than supportive about the whole thing.

"I told you – I tried to talk to him but it was like talking to the side of a building. There was no response, no interest on his part."

"If he wasn't interested he wouldn't have asked you out again."

"Alice, you couldn't pay me to go through that torture again. Please stop blaming me."

Alice crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot while she waited for her bowling shoes.

"Fine, but I want you to try harder next time."

"Next time when?"

"You'll see," Alice said in a sing-song voice.

Jasper had an away game, so Angela, Ben and Jessica were joining them for the bowling excursion. Edward was coming too, but later on. He had some kind of an emergency at school.

Bella was looking forward to bowling. She hadn't been since she was little and the gutters had been covered with guards to help the kids get higher scores. Somehow, she didn't think they'd have that luxury tonight.

The bowling alley was very busy. It was their Cosmic Bowling night, so the lights were turned off and the lanes were lit up with glow in the dark stickers and black lights. Bella's white t-shirt glowed eerily and Alice kept pointing and laughing. Bella didn't point out the two small, white flowers that were placed unfortunately on her own shirt.

It turned out that Bella's lack of coordination hindered her ability to bowl with any real skill. The shoes made her feet very slippery and she kept spinning around and tossing her ball in the wrong direction.

Angela and Ben found that particularly amusing, and took to shouting out warnings every time she got up to bowl.

Unfortunately, their last warning of the night was ignored.

Bella had been so proud about her approach too. She'd held the ball just like Ben had shown her, carefully supporting its weight in her palm. She took three very slow steps towards the lane, planted her foot, reached back and let the ball sail down the lane towards the pins.

Too bad it hadn't actually made it into her lane. Bella let go too soon, the ball slipped out of her hand and onto the shoe of the person bowling one lane over.

She watched the whole thing in slow motion. The ball landing on his foot. Dropping his own ball. Falling to the ground and grabbing his foot. Shouted profanities and gasps of horror from her friends.

Bella rushed over to apologize. When she reached down to help the guy up, she realized that she knew him. He was the mechanic from the garage that she'd taken her car to several weeks back.

His name was Benjamin and he was unbelievably cute. He'd worn his black jumpsuit like it had been made for him. It was tight where it should have been and showed off his muscles.

Not that Bella had noticed or anything.

"I am so sorry. Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not alright," he snapped, but then he looked up into her face, and smiled.

"I mean, I'll be ok. I don't think it's broken. Don't I know you?"

One of his buddies came over and helped him up off the floor, but Benjamin shook him off immediately.

"I brought my car in a couple weeks ago to your shop…"

"Yeah, the Camry, right? Is she still running ok for you?"

"Absolutely. No more problems."

"I'm Benjamin, by the way, but call me Ben." He put out his hand, and Bella shook it.

"Bella."

"That's right. I never forget a pretty face."

Bella giggled, she actually giggled. She could feel the blush spreading across her face too. She couldn't remember the last time a man had looked at her the way Ben was staring at her then, like she was the only person in the room. It made her feel special, for once.

And that was when Edward entered the bowling alley. He stood behind Alice, taking in the scene before him, and mentally kicked himself in the nuts. He should have asked her out yesterday, when she'd come back from that stupid date with Bill Nye, the science guy, all miserable and shit.

He hadn't wanted to seem desperate. And look where that had him now: standing in line again. He was in trouble this time too. She was actually flirting with this jackass. Stupid punk – thought he looked cool in his faded jeans and old-school rock t-shirt. He probably wore Docs too.

Alice saw his storm cloud, and shook her head sadly.

"I'm sorry, Edward," she whispered.

Even Alice knew it was hopeless. He couldn't stick around and watch this go down. He turned and exited just as quickly as he'd entered.

Edward spent the rest of the night driving aimlessly around town, something he hadn't done since he was 16 and bored out of his skull.

Bella was at the forefront of his thoughts. What did she see in this guy? Girls were a complete mystery. He'd given up on trying to figure them out years ago.

Edward eventually ended up at his childhood home in Highland Park. His parents wouldn't care if he crashed there for the night. His old room was still pretty much untouched, and he just couldn't face his empty townhouse.

He let himself in using his key, and called out to let them know he was there.

His mother appeared almost immediately from the direction of the den. She was patting her hair and straightening her top. Edward pretended not to notice. He didn't want to think about his mom and dad getting it on.

"Edward, dear, this is a lovely surprise." She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

"Sorry, Mom, I should have called first," he whispered.

"Don't be silly. We're just watching a movie. Come on back and say hello to your father."

Edward shuffled across the hardwood floor behind his mother. He hoped they'd given his dad enough time to get presentable.

Fortunately, Carlisle Cullen was as immaculate as ever. Not a hair or button out of place, but he couldn't hide the smirk on his face or the look he gave his wife when they entered the room.

"Edward, it's good to see you! Are you hungry? We've got some leftovers in the kitchen."

"Nah, I ate dinner earlier. I was driving by and thought I'd crash here tonight."

"Oh, were you in town?" his mother asked.

"No, I was supposed to go bowling with Alice and her twin and some other people, but that didn't work out."

His father frowned in confusion. "Alice has a twin?"

Alice was an only child, and since she'd grown up right next door, Carlisle knew that she didn't have any kind of twin.

"She and Bella Swan are good friends. They're together all the time," Edward explained.

Esme's eyes lit up at the mention of Bella. Damn – he'd forgotten that his mother was expecting something more from that. Edward had been expecting something more himself here recently. Guess they were both going to be disappointed.

"Well, we're happy to see you regardless. I've been meaning to call you anyway. Emmett mentioned the other day that he'd been to see your band perform. Why didn't you invite us?"

Great – from one uncomfortable topic to the next. This was not his night.

"Sorry. It was last minute and I didn't even invite Emmett. He just showed up."

"That sounds like him. Just be sure to call and let us know about your next show. We've missed seeing you perform." His mother smiled at him so sweetly and without any hesitation. Edward wondered why he hadn't been given the same gene.

"Will do, Mom."

"Great. Well, I'm going to bed. I've got a book club meeting in the morning." She kissed both of them goodnight and walked towards the back stairs.

Carlisle turned off the TV and put on his serious face. Fuck – Edward knew what was coming and definitely didn't want to do this tonight either.

"I had lunch with Douglas today." This wasn't a major surprise. Douglas O'Neill had been his family's lawyer forever, and he and his dad were good friends.

Edward grunted in response.

"He mentioned that the PI we put on Tanya has her in Texas."

"Fascinating," Edward replied, again hating the return of the asshole. It was difficult to act normal when discussing Tanya though.

"I don't think she's coming back, Edward. She knows the conditions of the restraining order."

"Glad she finally got smart."

"Son, look at me." Edward pulled his eyes off the Persian rug to gaze into his father's blue ones. He'd always been a little jealous that Emmett had gotten their dad's eyes. Edward's were green, like Esme's. Blue eyes seemed so much more unique and interesting.

"I talked to the Chicago Register too. They're not going to be writing any more stories about what happened. Its old news and you were exonerated, so there's nothing to report."

"What about that woman last year? The one who weaseled her way onto the support staff just to go through the employment files?"

"She's been let go from the paper. She wasn't authorized to write any story about you, Tanya, or the school. Old news, Edward."

"How do you know some other paper won't try the same stunt?"

Carlisle sat back in his chair and crossed his legs. "I don't. We just have to have faith."

"I'm having a hard time with that right now, Dad."

"I disagree. From what I've heard and seen, you've been making improvements."

It sounded like he was a home repair project.

"I just don't know if I can believe that what everyone says and does is the truth. I feel like everything is a lie and at any moment, the man behind the curtain's going to be exposed."

"Edward, don't worry about everyone else. Start with yourself. You have to trust and believe in yourself before you can worry about everyone else."

Edward hated that they were having this conversation. He'd put all these thoughts and feelings away into a box, and sent it away for long term storage. He felt dusty and out of date.

"You probably don't realize that you're already doing it. Playing with your band is a definite step in the right direction. Spending time with Alice and her 'twin', coming back to teach at school – all of these things show that you do believe in yourself. You have the confidence and ability within your person to put yourself out there, do things that are uncomfortable without knowing the outcome. That can be scary, for any man."

Edward could only nod in agreement. His dad was almost making sense for once.

"Edward, I'm so damn proud of you. A lesser man would have given up two years ago, accepted his fate and fallen under the pressure. Not you – you kept on chugging and you hung in there. And here you are, back with your family, where you belong."

"I'm not proud of myself, though, Dad. I ran away." Edward had never admitted that. To anyone.

"No – you took the time to heal. You've always been so protective of this family, Edward, and it's really one of your greatest assets. Your loyalty to us, to the school, and to your friends is so remarkable and extraordinary. Of course your resolve was cracked when that very core part of your personality took a beating. Sometimes, you have to take a step back to see the big picture. Moving to New York might have been a very big step back, from our perspective anyway, but we're just so glad you're home again."

His dad made sense. He'd felt crushed and betrayed at the time, and going away had seemed like the best plan. He hadn't wanted the taint of the scandal to soil the school or his family any more than it already had.

"Do you really think I'll get it back – not questioning everyone's motives, I mean."

"Yes, I do. It may take some more time, but whatever you've been doing recently, keep it up. It's made a major impact on your healing."

Edward's brain and emotions felt wiped out. He thanked his dad and went to bed, just wanting to blink out and examine his inner-most thoughts and feelings another day.

The sleep that claimed him was the best he'd had in years.

* * *

Bella groaned and rubbed her temples. Her eyes blinked open and immediately shut again in protest of the harsh light shining through the window. This didn't make much sense since she had dark curtains on her bedroom windows to keep the morning light out.

She sat up, and was sorry she had because her head felt like it was going to pound off her shoulders and onto the floor. Nevertheless, she had to open her eyes and figure out where she was because she definitely wasn't at home.

When her head stopped spinning and her brain started transmitting a signal again, she forced her eyes open. She looked around and sighed in relief. She was lying on Alice's sofa. Granny Brandon's afghan was pooled at her feet and there was a glass of water and a bottle of Tylenol on the end table next to where her head had been.

She greedily drank the water and swallowed two pills. Alice took care of her even when she wasn't home. Bella vaguely remembered Alice and Jasper picking her up from the bar last night and being carried into the house. Alice had mentioned something about going out this morning, but Bella couldn't remember where she said they would be.

Bella tried to remember everything that had happened the night before, but she only had brief flashes. Ben drove her to the bar. He bought her some shots – a lot of shots if she remembered correctly. They danced, and oh God, made out against the side of his jeep. That part hadn't been so bad. The bad part had come when she'd refused to go home with him and he'd abandoned her in the parking lot. Jerk. At least she'd been coherent enough to think to call Alice for a ride. She had a few more flashes of other men trying to pick her up in the parking lot while she waited, but they'd all scurried away when a furious-looking Jasper had hopped out of his truck upon their arrival. Bella wouldn't want to mess with him when he got angry either.

And now here she was. She knew she would be forced to give Alice a play-by-play of the whole night. It hadn't been so bad, really. Ben had been nice up until the point that she'd refused him. It could have been a lot worse. She wasn't going to be doing that again any time soon though. Two bad dates in one week was enough for her.

She spent the rest of the morning nursing her hangover and waiting for Alice and Jasper to come back home. Her own car was sitting in her apartment's parking lot where she'd left it last night. She was stuck until someone showed up.

Bella enjoyed having the TV to herself for a while. She still didn't own a TV, and she kind of missed being able to watch the news or veg out in front of some silly, brainless show like The Millionaire Matchmaker. Like she was doing now.

She eventually called Alice who told her to stay put and they would be home soon. Bella really wanted to go home and take a shower. She felt crusty. And she seriously needed to brush her teeth.

Alice and Jasper arrived not too long after she'd decided to poke around their kitchen in search of sustenance. Alice screeched when she saw that she was heating up some soup.

"Stop! We brought you lunch!"

"Oh! Please, not so loud. My head hurts," Bella replied. Had Alice always been this loud?

Alice sniffed. "That's what you get for going off with a strange man and doing shots of Jagermeister."

Alice seemed mad at her about something. Alice never got mad at her. What was going on?

"Jagermeister? Is that what I drank? It was gross."

"It's not so bad if you mix it with Red Bull," Jasper's muffled voice came from behind the refrigerator where he was putting the groceries away.

"Ugh, I don't think it was mixed with anything. How did you know what I drank last night?" Bella hadn't remembered herself this morning.

"You sang a song about it all the way home," Alice laughed. So, maybe she wasn't so mad at her after all.

Bella walked over and gave Alice a hug. "Thank you for rescuing me last night." She hugged Jasper too. He had been the one to charge out of the truck like he was itching for a fight.

"Don't worry about that Ben guy bothering you any more either," he replied.

"What does that mean?" Bella asked. Neither he nor Alice would look at her.

"Alice, what did Jasper do?"

"He did what your dad would have done, or your brother if you had one. He had a nice civilized talk with the scumbag about how to treat a lady, and then he punched his face in."

"Jasper!" Bella was shocked, but at the same time she felt a surge of love. No man had ever rushed to her defense before and it brought tears to her eyes.

"Bella, don't cry please." Apparently Jasper didn't like it when she cried either. Edward had practically jumped out of the car to get away from her that one time she'd cried in front of him.

"I'm not crying. My eyes are just leaking a little. Thank you, Jasper. Not for punching his face in per se, but for defending me."

"Aw, Bella, don't mention it. You're like family now." Jasper shuffled out of the kitchen and towards his office. Bella had no idea that he could be so sweet.

"He's a good man, Alice." Alice was lucky to have found him.

"I know it. Now, are we going to eat lunch or talk about how awesome my man is?"

"We could do both," Bella replied. Alice loved to talk about Jasper and Bella had yet another debt of gratitude to repay.

"Sounds good to me. So, last night, before you called, Jasper had driven us out to The Pier…"

Bella only minded a little bit that she had to discover just how talented Jasper's hands really were.

* * *

That night, Bella was sitting on her couch, grading papers. It was Saturday night, and Alice and Jasper had a date night. Rosalie had called to invite her over for dinner, but Bella wanted some time alone.

Her phone rang a while later, but she didn't recognize the number. The call was local though.

Bella sighed and put down her red pen.

"Hello?"

"Hi, may I please speak to Bella?" Her caller was a man, but she didn't recognize his voice.

"This is she." Bella hoped this wasn't a telemarketer.

"Hi, my name's Peter Walker. I work with Jasper Whitlock at Bear Lakes High?" He said it like Bella should know who he is. Had they ever mentioned someone named Peter before? She didn't think so.

"Um, hi Peter."

"Alice said that I should give you a call. She thought we might, uh, have some things in common."

Bella had always heard that bad things came in threes. She'd never experienced it herself, or she would have been more prepared for this. She'd had two bad dates, so of course there was going to be a third one. She was going to murder Alice.

She cleared her throat. "Well, that was nice of her."

"Is this as awkward for you as it is for me?"

Maybe he wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Yes," Bella laughed.

"Ok, good. I don't usually call women I don't know, but Alice has been pretty persistent."

"I know that side of her well. It's ok. Um, why don't you tell me about yourself?"

Bella settled into her couch to get more comfortable. She could spare a few minutes for this guy. He couldn't possibly be any worse than Benjamin.

"Well, I'm the JV football coach at school, but I'm also the driver's ed instructor, which means I spend my days being terrified by teenagers and my evenings taking it out on the jocks."

Bella laughed. He was almost funny.

"Jasper and I went to school together, go Redbirds, and he helped me get the job at BLH."

"Sounds like you two have known each other for a while." He couldn't be too bad if Jasper had known him for so long.

"Yeah, we've been through a lot together too. So, Alice has told me a little about you. You're from Washington?"

"Yes, born and raised. I just moved here in August to work at Cullen Academy."

"That must have been a big step for you. Leaving your home and moving cross-country by yourself."

"It was scary at first, but I'm really glad I did it. The school is great, the students are great, and I've made some good friends."

"Friends are important. You know, this hasn't been so awkward after all. I was wondering if I could take you to lunch tomorrow."

Bella smiled. He seemed nice enough. They were able to carry on a conversation, and he hadn't once insinuated that he expected to get her naked tomorrow.

"That sounds like fun. What did you have in mind?"

"I can pick you up at 12:30, if that's ok? There's this restaurant on the lake that has a great buffet on Sundays."

Bella gave him her address and hung up a few minutes later. Maybe number three wouldn't be so unlucky after all. She quickly texted Alice to let her know that her little trick had worked. She was so sneaky. She'd never mentioned this Peter guy before, but Bella had no doubt in her mind that she'd set them up.

* * *

The first thing Bella realized when she woke up Monday morning was that she had a giant hickey on her neck. Obviously a small present from Ben, but she didn't know how she'd gone all weekend without noticing it. Or Alice noticing it.

The second thing she realized was that her phone had been turned off for almost 24 hours. She'd shut it off before her lunch with Peter and never turned it back on.

She ate her cereal while she waited for her phone to go back online. She was sure she couldn't have missed too much. What was one day?

Bella had ten missed calls, five text messages, and three voicemails. Oops – it seemed like she could miss a lot over one day.

The first message was from Alice. She seemed surprised that Peter had finally called. He'd been told, yes told, to call Bella almost two weeks ago. And Alice wanted to warn her that he was a widower and to be nice. That information would have been more helpful yesterday.

The second message was also from Alice, wondering how her date had gone. Bella had been instructed to call her back as soon as she got home.

The third message was from Jacob. Bella deleted that one as soon as she heard his voice. This was not the first message he'd left for her over the past week, and nor would it be the last. Bella was not interested in anything he had to say.

All five text messages were from Alice, wondering where she was and threatening all sorts of bodily harm. Her last message implied that Bella must not have returned home and she wanted a full report on Monday.

Alice would get the full report, but it wouldn't be what she was expecting.

Bella got to school early, wearing a black turtleneck she'd thankfully found in one of her drawers. She didn't know what she would wear for the rest of the week though until the hickey went away. She just had the one turtleneck.

Alice's car was in the lot and she hurried over to the guidance building to report in.

Alice was typing away madly at her computer, but paused long enough to give Bella's entrance a musical accompaniment.

"Bow-shick-a-bow-wow," Alice sang, nodding along in time to the music. "Someone got lucky this weekend."

"I would expect that from Emmett, not you. And the only who got lucky in this room this weekend was you." Bella settled into the metal chair opposite her desk.

"Hmm…I am so very lucky. So, if you didn't get down and dirty with Peter, would you care to explain why my repeated calls and texts went unanswered all day and all night?"

"I forgot to turn my phone back on."

"Bella, this is me you're talking to, not your dad. You can tell me the truth." Alice looked so earnest and trustworthy with her eyes so big and round. Bella laughed in response.

"I wish I had a better excuse. Actually, your little tidbits about Peter would have been helpful before our date. I saw a picture of his wife at his house and stormed out. It was a little awkward when he chased me to down to explain that she had passed away."

"Ouch. I'm sorry. If I had known he was finally going to call you, I would have made sure you'd known ahead of time. So, how did it go, other than that? And why are you hiding your neck today?"

"Peter is a very nice man, and we have a lot in common. But, and this is a very big but, he is still in love with his wife and not ready to move on yet."

Alice sat back in her chair and folded her hands in her lap.

"Damn. I was afraid of that. I had hoped…Well, so be it. And your neck?"

Bella pulled down the shirt to expose her hickey.

Alice whistled and leaned in close to get a better look. "Did Peter give that to you before or after he told you about his wife?"

"Neither. This is a present from Ben. One I wish I didn't still have. How can I hide it until it goes away? I only own this one turtleneck."

"Makeup. Or a scarf. I have both at home. Come by for dinner tonight and we'll take care of it."

"You are a lifesaver, Alice." Bella looked at the clock and jumped up.

"I've got to go. Young minds await."

"Jasper's making spaghetti tonight. Come over around 7."

Bella waved goodbye and headed towards the main building.

By lunch time, Bella was anxious to see Edward. He'd never shown up for bowling Friday night, and she kind of missed him. The past few days had been so strange and hectic that she was looking forward to the normalcy of their lunch routine.

Only, Edward didn't show up for lunch. He wasn't saving their table when she went into the lounge, and she waited for 15 minutes before she decided to hunt him down.

Luckily, he was in the first place she checked: his music room. He wasn't surrounded by the noise and bustle of a room full of students though, like she thought he would be. The room was dark, but she could see him sitting in the small office that connected to the room, hunched over his desk. The door was locked, so she knocked lightly.

Edward looked up, and seemed surprised to see her. She waved him over to let her in.

He was wearing his old uniform of sneakers, khakis and a polo shirt. Bella hated to see the nicer clothes he'd been wearing recently disappear.

He opened the door and let her in, then locked it again.

"Why didn't you come down for lunch?" She asked after following him back to his office.

"I had some things to do here." He nodded towards several binders spread out across his desk.

"Oh." Bella couldn't hide her disappointment. "Can I help?"

The binders held photographs that Bella assumed that Edward had taken.

"Probably not. My mom needs a couple shots for a program she's putting together for some event at her country club."

"Oh." Edward seemed withdrawn and moody. Bella wondered what had happened – they'd been getting along so well lately.

"Are you mad at me?"

Edward sighed and looked at the floor.

"Why would I be mad at you?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking. You don't seem like yourself."

"Well maybe you don't seem like yourself either." His words had a harsh tone to them.

"So you are mad at me."

Edward looked into her eyes for the first time, and she saw the hurt and anger there. Had she done that? Just as quickly, his eyes shifted to the high collar of her shirt and narrowed.

"What's with the turtleneck, Bella?"

Bella gasped and took a step back. How did he know about that?

"I, uh, wanted to wear something warm today. My room's pretty cold."

"Hmm. Did you enjoy your date Friday night?"

So this was about Benjamin. She wondered how Edward found out about him. Alice probably told him. But why was he acting so weird about it? What did it matter to him what she did? Unless…

"It was not how I would have preferred to spend my Friday night. I wish I'd stayed at the bowling alley instead." Let him chew on that for a while.

"I saw you, you know. With that guy."

"What? When? You never showed up Friday night…"

"But I did. I was just late because one of my piano strings broke and I had to wait for the repair guy to show up. I saw you flirting with that guy."

"I don't know what you want me to say. I'm not going to see him again, if that's what you're wondering."

"I'm not," Edward said, a little too quickly.

"Then why does it matter to you if I flirt with a man?" Bella had a feeling she knew where this was going, but she needed him to say it. She wasn't going to guess about a man's feelings ever again. He was going to have to say it – out loud.

"I don't know," he said quietly. Bella looked at the clock and realized that their lunch break was almost over.

"I'm having dinner at Alice and Jasper's tonight. You should come." Bella knew they wouldn't mind the extended invitation. She was anxious to continue this conversation outside the confines of school as well.

Edward took a while before he answered with a terse, "Fine."

"Ok. Dinner's at 7. I've got to go."

She closed the door quietly as she left, leaving it unlocked for his next class. Bella didn't know what had just happened, but she was going to figure it out.

* * *

**A/N: I have some outtakes from this chapter that are posted as a separate story. Please click on my profile to read them.**


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own the Fresh Prince or DJ Jazzy Jeff's lyrics.

* * *

Edward was in a pissy mood. Well, more pissy than usual. The DVD player ate one of his favorite performance DVDs, so he had to shelve that lesson plan and have his students work on their essays instead. His composition class decided, as a unit, not to work on the Vivaldi piece they'd been assigned, and he spent 10 minutes lecturing them on how disappointed he was in their lack of responsibility and enthusiasm. He couldn't find the shots that his mom needed for her damn program, and he didn't know what to do about Bella Swan.

She confused the hell out of him. She fascinated him. He was convinced she was hiding a hickey underneath that damn turtleneck, and he wanted to punch someone's face in. Someone with a dumb haircut, designer jeans and no taste.

What did she mean asking him if he was mad at her? Why would he be mad? Just because Alice had practically begged him to ask her out, and when he finally decided to do it, she runs off with the first jackass that comes along instead.

It made him want to kick his piano, hard, and he would never, ever harm his most prized possession. It was his baby.

If he'd shown up on time Friday night, this wouldn't have happened. He would have been the one to take her out. He would have been the recipient of her smiles and batted lashes. He would have been the one to know the softness of her lips, the sigh she made right after she'd been kissed properly, and the feel of her hands running along his body.

This was getting him nowhere. He was so confused that he didn't know which end was up anymore. He wanted to hate her, but that was impossible now. She was this small bundle of mystery, and while that very trait had repelled him at first, it sucked him in hard now. He wanted to know her thoughts, the way she smelled, what she looked like naked.

So, yeah, he was mad at her. He couldn't face her at lunch today – not after watching her throw herself at tall, dark, and annoying. He didn't want to see her happy face, listen to her stories about Mr. Wonderful, all the while hoping that she'd break up with the loser.

Instead, she'd come and found him. And he'd been annoyed. Did she have to rub it in his face? What kind of chick did that? Only, she hadn't seemed to be in the after-glow of some good lovin'. In fact, she hadn't seemed all that excited about the loser after all. So, maybe he still had a chance.

Edward wasn't used to having to worry about women. For most of his life, they'd pretty much thrown themselves at him. It had been a while since his last relationship though, so maybe he was just rusty. Or maybe he was just completely out of his depth. Maybe Bella didn't fit the mold of "women that dated Edward." It was like trying to put a round peg into a square hole. She didn't fit because she was completely different.

Edward waited impatiently for the final bell to ring. He hated to do it, but he needed some advice. And that was what big brothers were for, right?

He watched the minutes tick by slowly, and even when he dismissed his students for the day, he still had some time to kill. Emmett had some dumb rule about discussing family stuff at school, but a couple minutes wouldn't kill him. At 2:50, Edward couldn't stand it any more and he took off for the main office, hoping that Emmett was around today. Sometimes he went to the athletic fields to check out practice after school, and Edward was hoping that today was not one of those days.

He waved hello to Mrs. Trips as he passed by her desk, and happily found Emmett crouched over his own, engrossed in one of the three newspapers that he read daily. His brow was furrowed and his mouth had a decidedly downward slant. Whatever he was reading wasn't making him happy.

He knocked on the door, just to warn his brother that he was coming in.

"Hey, do you have a couple minutes? I need some advice." It was best just to throw it out there and not wade through any bullshit beforehand.

"Of course. Is this school-related advice?" Emmett folded the papers and piled them on the corner of his desk. His hardened principal eyes bored questioningly into Edward's own.

Edward looked at the clock and sighed. "Come on, man. It's just six minutes."

Emmett straightened up and leaned back in his chair. "You know the rules. No family talk until after 3:00. So, unless you have something school-related to discuss, I'm going to need you to vacate the chair."

Edward glared at his brother and kicked his chair back, but didn't leave the office. Instead, he wandered around and poked at his brother's things. He pulled Emmett's diploma off the wall, and re-hung it upside down. He checked on Emmett out of the corner of his eye, but he was once again engrossed in his reading material. Edward whistled the laundry detergent commercial he'd heard on TV before school – loudly. He looked at Emmett again, hoping for a reaction this time, but his brother only shifted minutely in his chair.

Edward suddenly remembered something that Emmett wouldn't be able to resist.

Edward started beat-boxing the theme song to Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

Emmett put his pen down and glared at him. "Edward..." he said, clearly unhappy with Edward's underhanded attempt to get him to break his own rule.

Edward kept the beat going and started bouncing around the room. Emmett looked at the clock, cursed under his breath, and jumped out of his chair. Edward knew by the look on his face that he hadn't forgotten a single word.

_Now, this is a story all about how_

_My life got flipped-turned upside down_

_And I liked to take a minute_

_Just sit right there_

_I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel Air_

They danced in the small empty space of Emmett's office, reverting back to their teenage selves when they would perform all of Will Smith's songs (back when he was still known as the Fresh Prince) in their basement, to the amusement of their equally dorky friends.

_In west Philadelphia born and raised_

_On the playground was where I spent most of my days_

_Chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool_

_And all shootin some b-ball outside of the school_

_When a couple of guys_

_Who were up to no good_

_Startin making trouble in my neighborhood_

_I got in one little fight and my mom got scared_

_She said 'You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel Air'_

A loud knock on the door brought them out of the '90's. Emmett's secretary was standing in the doorway, peering at the two of them over her half-moon glasses.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Mr. Cullen, but the man is here to deliver the new printer, and he's insisting on having your signature on the delivery receipt."

Emmett stood up, straightened his tie, and glared at Edward. "Do you remember now why we have the 'not before 3:00 rule'?"

Edward bent over laughing. He could hear Emmett's booming voice coming from the outer office, but the laughter wouldn't stop. They hadn't done that in such a long time. It was good to just cut loose once in a while, though it was usually Emmett who did most of the loosening.

He sat back down in the visitor's chair to wait for Emmett to come back. It was after 3:00, so they could discuss his "non-school related issue" now. He hoped Emmett didn't hold their little flashback moment against him.

He wasn't sure how this conversation was going to go, and it was a sobering thought. Emmett had told him to be nice to Bella, so he was just taking his brother's advice. If he had any problems with it, he only had himself to blame.

Emmett finally returned and shut his office door behind him. He smiled at Edward when he sat down.

He leaned in close and whispered, "That was so awesome. We've still got two more verses…"

"Why are you whispering?" Edward asked.

"Betty's got her ear pressed up against the door, hoping for an encore. I can see her shadow through the crack along the floor. Should we give our public what they're demanding?" Emmett looked way more excited that a grown man should be at the possibility of performing that song again for his secretary.

"No way, man. My skills cannot be bought."

"Actually, yes they can. Or do you play your piano for free at those places your band frequents?"

"That is me, making an exchange for my art."

"Well, I'm pretty sure Betty wouldn't be averse to making an exchange with you."

Edward laughed. "Come on, she's older than our mom. Don't be disgusting."

"Just saying. She likes to watch you as you walk away, if you know what I mean."

"And now I'll be having nightmares. Can we get back to my important issue now?"

Emmett's face bore the disappointment of a man's dream being crushed. "Fine. What's on your mind?"

Edward took a deep breath. And then another. He ran his hand through his hair, and checked his shirt to make sure the top button was undone. He hated having it buttoned up all the way – it constricted his airflow.

"You're fidgeting. Just spit it out."

"I want to ask Bella out."

"Bella Swan." It was a statement – not a question. Emmett had known this was coming.

"Do we know any other Bellas?"

"So what's the problem?"

"The problem is she's had two dates in the past week. The first one was with that annoying physics teacher…"

"Felix Harris? She went out with Felix?" Emmett looked dumbfounded.

"Yeah, that's the guy. Her second date was with this jackass that picked her up from the bowling alley Friday night…"

"Oh, yeah, I heard about him. Don't worry about it – Jasper took care of that problem."

Wait, what?

"What problem?" Edward asked. And why was Jasper involved?

"Mr. Smooth and Seductive kicked Bella out of his Jeep and left her alone in the parking lot of One-Eyed Jacks – at freaking 1:00 in the morning. But, like I said, Jasper took care of it."

WHAT. THE. FUCK.

Edward's vision turned red, and he felt like the Incredible Hulk. He wanted to tear off his shirt, sport some purple pants and start messing somebody up.

"I'm gonna kill the fucker." Edward had never experienced this level of rage before, and he actually checked his arms to see if he his skin was turning green.

"Calm the hell down, Edward. Jasper already rearranged the freak's face. Problem solved."

It only made Edward feel marginally better that someone else had handled the problem. He couldn't help but feel that he should have been the one to do it instead.

Emmett clicked his pen a couple times, waiting for the shade of Edward's face to fade from purple.

"I still don't see the problem. Go ask her out."

Edward searched for the words to make his brother understand. "It's not that simple. I…she made me so mad in the beginning, and then she turned out to be ok and I thought we could be friends, but then I thought I didn't want just that. And now - I don't know if this is what I want anymore. I don't know if I want…her."

Emmett sighed and put his hands behind his head. "You like her, right? I see the two of you having lunch together everyday, so I know you don't have a problem talking to her. She's not bad-looking…"

Edward rolled his eyes. Bella was hot. She was beautiful. She took his breath away. She was way more than "not bad-looking."

"Rosie would kill me if I told you what I really thought about Ms. Swan, but like I said, not unfortunate-looking. She's a sweet girl, universally loved, and you'd be a fool not to want her."

"What if she doesn't want me? I mean, she's been out with these two other guys, and it just makes me think that she's not interested in me."

"Why? Because she hasn't gone out with you? Grow a pair and ask her out already. You'll find out pretty quick if she's interested or not. Give it a chance, man. Edward, don't let this opportunity slip by. I wasn't going to say this, because I don't want to scare you off, but this is your chance for a real relationship."

Edward frowned at his brother. "I've had real relationships."

"Nuh-uh. You've had girls that you hang out with and fuck. There's a difference between that and having a real, grown-up girlfriend. Having a real, grown-up girlfriend is like having that African violet of yours in your kitchen."

"My what?"

"That's what the little one with the blue flowers is called. Don't give me that look. I have a wife – that's the only reason I even know that it has a name. Anyway, pay attention. Like your plant, a real girlfriend is something, or in this case, someone that needs to be nurtured. She needs the basic necessities: warmth, food, light. But if you really want that plant, er girlfriend, to survive and be something special, she needs something extra. Talk to her, listen to her, love her something fierce. They can tell the difference between being given just the basic necessities and being nurtured. Be a nurturer, Edward. Bella deserves it. You deserve it."

Edward knew that his brother was smart, but sometimes he managed to amaze him with his level of brilliance. This was one of those times.

"You actually make sense."

"Damn straight I do. Now, I've got some work to do before I can go home to my hot and sexy wife. Get out of here and go nurture the pants off of Bella."

Edward jumped up and thanked his brother. Walking back down the hall to the music room, he felt like he had a new outlook on life. He was actually looking forward to dinner tonight, instead of dreading the time spent in Bella's presence. He wondered how early he could show up without seeming too anxious.

* * *

Alice and Jasper's kitchen smelled like an Italian restaurant. Jasper had been simmering a home-cooked red sauce on the stove for a couple hours, and the entire house smelled of tomato, garlic, and oregano. Alice had demonstrated her one cooking prowess by boiling the water for the spaghetti, while under the watchful eye of her husband. Alice had a nasty history of setting the kitchen on fire.

Edward sat at their breakfast bar, nursing his glass of Coke. He'd only shown up two hours early for dinner, and now that the witching hour was upon them, he was more than anxious to see Bella. He'd found the perfect place for their first date, and was pretty proud of himself too. All he needed was the girl in question to show up, and they could get this party started.

A loud crash on the front porch announced Bella's arrival at exactly 7:02.

Alice hurried out to help her inside.

"Bella, I'm sorry, I should have turned the porch light on for you. I forgot…"

"Don't worry about it Alice. I'm sure the throbbing pain in my big toe will go away soon. I am sorry that I kicked your pot off the porch though. I can replace it…"

"Don't worry about it."

"I'm doubly sorry that the garlic bread is now ruined."

Bella was wiping a mixture of bread, garlic and butter off her jacket when Edward walked out on the porch to give them a hand.

"What happened?" He was concerned that she'd hurt herself.

Bella seemed surprised at his show of concern, but she shouldn't be. Had he been that much of an asshole that she would think he wasn't capable of that emotion?

"I tripped over Alice's pot, fell onto my loaf of garlic bread, and kicked the pot off the porch. So, a normal evening in the life of Bella Swan."

"Bella – you're not that clumsy."

"I can send you my medical file from Forks ER if you want – I think they're up to a 5" binder now."

Alice took her coat after they entered the kitchen and scraped the remnants of the bread into the trash.

"I'm going to throw this into the washer for you." Alice took off down her basement steps like her feet were on fire.

Jasper continued to stir his sauce, while Edward and Bella stood awkwardly in the kitchen, staring at each other.

A few moments later, Alice ordered Jasper downstairs to help her reach something on the top shelf.

Edward rolled his eyes and groaned. Did Alice's intentions have to be so damn obvious?

"She's not subtle, is she?" Edward twisted his glass in his hand.

"Not really. So, uh, how was the…"

"Bella, did you want to..."

They spoke at the same time.

Bella laughed and said, "Sorry, go ahead."

Edward paused and listened for voices from downstairs. He was pretty sure that their hosts were eavesdropping. He gently put his hand on Bella's elbow and steered her out of the room. He didn't stop until they were out on the porch again.

"Sorry, it's a bit more private out here."

Bella wrapped her arms across her chest. Edward felt bad for dragging her back out into the cold without a coat, but it was the only place without an audience that he could do this.

"Bella, I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me Friday night. There's a meteor shower this weekend, and the observatory in Kenosha is opening up to the public for the evening. I thought we could maybe get some dinner beforehand too."

Edward hadn't planned on asking her out first thing. He was going to take his time, show his wit and mellower side over dinner, and wow Bella with his charisma before asking her out. But the moment had presented itself, and he hadn't been able to wait. He prayed that she said yes now though; otherwise, dinner was going to be a very awkward affair.

Bella chewed on her lip for a moment before saying, "I'd love to."

Edward sighed in relief and smiled at her. "Great – that's great. I'll, uh, pick you up at 6? Is that too early?" He didn't know how long she'd need to get ready after school, but they had a bit of a drive and he needed to leave enough time for dinner too.

"6 is perfect. Where is Kenosha though? I've never heard of it."

"It's actually right over the border in Wisconsin – not much farther than the distance to downtown from here though."

"Ok, great. Um, I'm getting a little cold now. Can we go back in?"

"Of course!" Personally, he felt like he was on fire.

Not surprisingly, Alice and Jasper were in the kitchen when they returned. Jasper was back to his sauce, but Alice was staring pointedly in their direction as they walked into the kitchen. Edward glared at her. He could tell that she wanted details, and wouldn't stop at coming right out and asking either one of them, but she was going to have to wait until later.

The post asking-out awkwardness disappeared as soon as they sat down to eat. Jasper was the greatest cook around, and his sauce had actually won an award one year at the county fair. The conversation flowed freely and Edward felt relaxed and happy. He liked being happy. It was something that had been missing from his life for a while, but he was glad to have it back.

After dinner, Alice and Edward were on cleanup duty. Bella was showing Jasper how to save files to his flash drive in his office. It seemed to Edward like the perfect time to bring up a subject that Alice didn't like to discuss in front of Bella, for some reason.

"What did the doctor say?" he asked while drying the spaghetti pot.

Alice rolled her eyes and huffed. It didn't seem like she was going to answer, but she checked the doorway to make sure it was clear then cleared her throat.

"They're going to run some more tests. They think…they don't think that I'll ever be able to carry to full term. Jasper – Jasper says it doesn't matter, that we'll just adopt, but it matters to me. I never really wanted kids until I met him, and ever since all I've ever wondered is what our children would look like. Crap, Edward, it just doesn't seem fair."

She kept checking the doorway to make sure they were alone, and it made Edward even more curious why she refused to share any of this with Bella.

"Why are you keeping this a secret? She's your friend – you know she'd do anything for you." Any fool could see that the two of them had been destined to be best friends. It almost made Edward jealous thinking about the time she got to spend with Bella. Time he hoped to be intruding upon in the very near future.

"I don't want her to worry. She's been through so much these past few months, and there's not much to tell right now anyway. Once the doctors know something for sure, then I'll tell her."

"Ok – but don't leave her out for too long. She's going to notice that something's up with you."

"I know. She's been wrapped up in her own dramas lately though – I'm sure she hasn't noticed much."

Now, Edward was confused. What dramas?

"You mean with that guy from the bowling alley – that drama?"

Alice's eyes grew wide with panic for a brief moment before returning to their normal size.

"That, and the move from home, and her dad being all alone. It's a tough thing – what she's done."

Actually, now that Alice mentioned Bella's dad, Edward realized he knew very little about her life before she moved to Bear Lake.

"Bella never mentions her mom. Do you know what happened to her?" He wondered if her parents were divorced. It seemed odd that she would have lived with her dad and not her mom. Didn't most mothers get custody of the children in a divorce?

"You should probably talk to her about that. It's not a big deal – it's just her story to tell. So, did she say yes?"

Edward was not surprised that Alice knew he had finally asked Bella out. She'd been shooting both of them questioning glances all evening and he was surprised that she'd lasted this long.

"Yes – we're going out on Friday. Be nice."

Alice jumped up and down a few times, holding onto Edward's forearms for support.

"When am I not nice?"

"Just – don't make a big deal out of it, ok?"

"Oh, Edward, you act like you haven't known me for most of your life. Details – give me details."

Edward rolled his eyes and finished drying the last pan. He was anxious to see Bella before he took off.

"I think you'd probably enjoy Bella's version of events better than my own, so I'll leave it for her to tell."

"I always knew you were smart. Are you leaving?" Alice pouted. "I thought we were going to watch a movie."

"I've got some things to take care of at home. Some of us have lesson plans to prepare."

He headed down the hall to Jasper's office. He stood in the doorway, quietly, trying not to disturb them. Bella was seated in Jasper's chair, and was explaining something about his system's output. Edward liked how smart she was. And not just about one topic – she seemed to have a pretty wide range of knowledge. It impressed him, and he did like to be impressed.

He watched Bella as she pushed a wayward hair out of her face and tucked it behind her small, delicate ear. The glow of the monitor accentuated the paleness of her complexion.

He knocked on the doorjamb to get their attention. "I'm taking off. Papers to grade, that sort of thing." He was hoping to get Bella to walk him out, so he smiled extra brightly in her direction.

She smiled in return and looked at the clock in the corner of the monitor.

"Oh! I didn't realize how late it was. I should be going too. Do you understand how to copy those files over now, Jasper?"

"Yeah, and if it gives me any more problems, I'll just call you."

"Ok." She quickly gave him a hug goodbye and followed Edward out to the living room.

Alice had her purse and a container of leftovers ready to go.

"I can't take your leftovers Alice."

"Don't argue with me. Resistance is futile. I'll see you tomorrow." She hugged her friend goodbye and escorted the two of them out the door.

Edward took one look at his Volvo, and felt an instant rush of joy.

"Look – it's the first snowfall." Edward loved the snow. It was one of his favorite things about living in Illinois. He watched Bella walk out from underneath the porch overhang and stick her tongue out, trying to catch a few flakes.

"Snow so soon? I bet you get a lot of snow in the winter here."

"We usually get a couple feet. Did you get a lot back home in…Washington?" He was pretty sure that's where she was from.

She nodded her head in response. "Forks, Washington. Not a lot of snow, but it rains all the time. I thought I would miss the rain after I moved here, but I've learned to appreciate the sunshine."

Edward was fascinated by the way the snow was collecting in her hair. Her curls framed her face, and small crystals had stuck to the top layer of her hair. She looked like she was surrounded by a halo of diamonds.

He reached a hand up slowly to touch one of the crystals. Her eyes followed his hand to her hair, and she looked down shyly when he rubbed a lock of it in between his fingers.

Edward took a step closer and whispered, "Your hair is so soft."

She looked up into his eyes, and he swore that he saw his own desires reflected in her orbs. He took another step closer, until her hands were pressed against his chest, holding him back or pulling him closer, he wasn't sure which, but he was going to find out.

Edward tilted his head and moved his mouth towards hers, slowly, oh so slowly, giving her time to make a decision one way or another. But he could tell by the hitch of her breath and the drag of her eyelids that she wanted to kiss him just as much as he wanted to kiss her.

He was inches away from heaven when he heard the slam of the door and an embarrassed cough. Bella blinked, jumped back a few feet, and darted her eyes to the porch. Edward watched the tell-tale blush spread up her neck, across her face and almost into her hair.

He turned to find Alice holding out Bella's coat with one hand, and giving him an apologetic look.

"So sorry. You forgot your coat, Bella, and hey it's snowing, so I thought that you would need it. I'm going back inside now so you can go back to whatever…" Alice ran back in and slammed the door behind her.

Edward ran his hand through his now-wet hair and couldn't help but laugh. The moment was over. He would just have to try again on Friday. And he was so looking forward to it.

He walked Bella to her car and promised to meet her for lunch the next day. His goofy grin stayed with him through the rest of the evening – even when he was brushing his teeth.

* * *

Bella's head was spinning. What was that? He'd been just about to kiss her, right? At least, she was pretty sure that's what his intent had been. It wasn't like the other night when Ben had swooped in and claimed her mouth. God, this was so different. Edward had been hesitant and sweet, like he was asking for permission to share this with her. And Bella was so ready to share.

Damn Alice and her interference. She'd looked contrite, which she should have been. Bella couldn't stay mad at her for long. It was obvious by the look on her face how sorry she'd been to interrupt.

Bella realized with a start that she didn't know where she was. She'd missed her turn a few streets back, and she was pretty sure she'd just run a red light. If Edward had this effect on her after one near-kiss, she'd probably be comatose if he actually kissed her for real.

She was still driving in the wrong direction from her apartment, but she was distracted by the memory of the intense look in his eyes as he leaned in towards her lips. The sound of her ringing phone broke the spell entirely. She'd just have to revisit her happy place later.

She sighed and rolled her eyes after checking the caller id.

"Yes, Alice?"

"You have to come back here, RIGHT NOW! I can't believe you actually left without giving me any details. I'm hurt – I thought we were friends, Bella."

"Alice, you're my best friend. And I'm almost home…" Technically, she should have been, but since she'd driven the wrong way around the lake, it was now going to take her twice as long to get back.

"I don't care. I expect to see you standing on my front porch in 10 minutes. Besides, you forgot the scarf you were going to borrow."

Alice made a good point. She couldn't show up to school wearing the same shirt she'd worn today. The bruise was beginning to change colors soon, but it was still obvious what it was.

"Alright, I'll be there soon."

When she pulled up in front of Alice's house 12 minutes later, Alice was standing out front tapping her foot. She dragged Bella inside and pushed her down onto the couch.

"Tell me everything. What did he say? Where is he taking you?"

Bella liked being able to share this moment with Alice – she'd never had the chance during her teenage years to sit around and giggle about boys, so she didn't feel any qualms about taking this time and sharing it with Alice.

"He asked to take me to dinner and to an observatory. He's picking me up at 6 on Friday. I don't know what to wear though, so if you have any suggestions…"

"I do. I will even give you options, but we can discuss that later. The observatory sounds promising; it will be dark, so plenty of time for some hanky-panky."

Bella smiled at the thought of some hanky-panky with Edward, but remembered her reaction to the almost-kiss.

"Alice, he almost kissed me – outside just now."

"Believe me Bella, the whole neighborhood saw. There was no way I could have missed it."

"When you called me, I was actually over on Lincoln Street. He has me so distracted, I completely missed my turn." Bella's grin turned to a frown when she remembered his behavior from earlier. "He's also confusing me. He didn't show up for lunch today and I had to track him down in his office. I could have sworn he was mad at me, but he didn't seem mad tonight."

"Men are strange and fickle creatures. He probably had gas."

Bella laughed. She was so happy she felt like rays of sunshine were bursting out of her every pore.

"Alice, it's never been like this for me before."

"I'm so happy for you Bella." Alice tackled her back onto the couch in her enthusiasm.

"I'd like to say that I've never wished for this very scenario, but I can't. May I help you ladies with anything?" The sound of Jasper's voice had Bella kicking her legs and pushing Alice back off her. Alice immediately jumped up and into the arms of her husband.

"Edward finally asked Bella out," she hurriedly said into his face.

"Ah…so that was the impetus for the bit of espionage before. I didn't realize that we'd been waiting for him to ask her out though."

"Don't you ever listen during pillow talk? I told you a week ago that he was going to."

Bella sat up at that news.

"Wait, he was going to ask me out a week ago? Seriously?"

"Yes, but then all the single men in the county decided that you were ripe for the picking and descended. Poor guy's just been biding his time."

Bella didn't know how she felt about that. She was either mad because he'd waited so long, or mad because she'd been dating duds for the past week instead.

"Alice, you didn't give my number out to anyone else did you? Should I be expecting more phone calls?" Bella was slightly afraid that she'd given her number out to every man she'd turned down recently.

Alice scrunched up her face and muttered, "Maybe one or two more guys…but that's it."

"Alice!"

"Well, you don't have to go out with them. Just say no, Bella."

"Fine. But no more interfering…please?"

"Ok. Anything for you." Bella wished that she could believe her.

They spent the rest of the evening trying to hide the mark on her neck with makeup. Alice had some stage makeup leftover from the school play the year before, and that seemed to do the trick. She took home a couple scarves though, just in case.

The next day started out normally enough. Her students seemed to be enjoying the day's lesson. They were working on grammar. Half the students were writing sentences with improper grammar and the other half had to correct them. They were being timed and whichever team finished first got a pass on their homework that tonight. It seemed to be going well, and the competition had been pretty fierce. It felt good to find something that both she and her students liked doing. Some days, that just wasn't possible.

Bella had lunch with Edward in the lounge, and that made her the happiest of all. They sat huddled together for their 34 minutes of lunch time, and Edward was completely different from the way he'd behaved the day before when she'd found him in his music room. He carried her lunch from the cafeteria line to their table. He rested his hand on top of hers when he was trying to emphasize his position on steroid use in MLB. Bella tried to stay interested in that conversation, but it was a losing battle. She just concentrated on the warmth of his hand, the roughness of his palm and the elegance of his fingers.

She stuck her tongue out at him when he teased her about the scarf she was wearing. He pulled one of her curls in retaliation, but reticently released it after she'd started to visibly shake.

Bella was overwhelmed by his very presence.

So, it had been a typical school day up until that point. Edward had to leave lunch early to let his 6th period lesson group in early to collect their instruments. Bella hated to see him go, but she a had a feeling she'd be seeing him later anyway.

The strangeness began when she exited the teacher's lounge and found herself caught up in the mass exodus of the lunch period. Bella was still not used to the sheer size and maturity of some of the upperclassmen in the school. The boys, especially, seemed more like full-grown men than teenagers. She was walking down the hall behind two such anomalies when she heard Edward's name mentioned. She knew it was Edward they were talking about because they called him Mr. Cullen. Emmett, who was technically also a Mr. Cullen, was universally called "Big Bear" by the students. Bella hadn't been surprised by the name, it actually fit him quite well, but she had been surprised that Emmett allowed the student body to call him that.

The two boys in front on her, who must have been seniors based on their size, were discussing "Mr. Cullen" and Bella concentrated on trying to hear what they were saying. It was difficult to hear over the din of the voices in the hall. She did manage to hear her own name mentioned, but their conversation was abruptly cut short when the smaller of the two turned and caught her walking right behind them. They scurried away down one of the wings.

She caught several other students talking behind their hands and giving her strange looks. She shrugged and decided that the gossip mill was working on over drive and someone had found out that she and Edward were…what? Dating? More than friends? She didn't know what the term was, but the whole school seemed to know. There was nothing she could do but hurry to her classroom and back to her room of happy freshmen.

The rest of the day might have proceeded as easily as the morning, had Edward not stopped by unexpectedly during 7th period. She'd been circling the room, making sure all the students were on task when she heard a knock on her door.

She looked up, and Edward was standing there in all his musical, bronze-haired glory. Edward actually seemed to be in teacher mode for once, and the look of authority on his face made Bella actually pant a little. He was usually so laid-back…

"May I see you for a moment, Ms. Swan?" Good thing one of them didn't pant at the sight of the other. They'd look like a pair of dogs just after a junkyard fight otherwise.

Bella gave her class some instructions and followed Edward out into the hall. He'd never stopped by during the day before, so she was curious what had brought him by today.

"Hey. I just wanted to let you know that I have to leave right after school today. I know we didn't have any plans or anything, but I didn't want you looking for me and finding me…gone."

He was so sweet. Bella preferred this Edward much more to the one she'd first met.

"Ok – is everything alright?" She didn't know what kind of emergency he could have that would drag him out of school right away.

"Yeah, everything's great. I got a call from a club we've been trying to play, and they want us to come audition, but their only open slot is today at 4, and if I'm going to get there on time, I'm going to have to haul ass out of here."

"Edward – that's great! Alice has some strange plans for me today after school anyway. Well, break a leg, or whatever you musicians say."

"Break a leg works." He paused and stared at her mouth like he wanted to kiss her. Bella's breath caught in her throat. He wouldn't try that now would he, with a class of 27 impressionable teenagers just feet away?

Apparently not, because he took a large step back, waved, and took off down the hall instead.

Bella leaned against the row of lockers that lined the hall outside her classroom. Edward had the most powerful effect on her. She spent a few minutes regaining her composure before she went back into her room.

She found 54 eyes trained on the doorway. They all snapped back to their papers when she put her hands on her hips and told them to get back to work.

She saw more than one student sneaking questioning looks her way.

It was almost the end of the period when she walked to the corner of the room to break up an apparent argument. Two of her best students were waving their arms in the air and had their heads pressed close together. She'd had problems with these two from the beginning of the year. They had a strange love/hate relationship and always tried to outdo the other.

When Bella got close enough, she heard the crux of their argument.

"You are such a moron. There's no way she knows. She wouldn't even talk to him if she did."

"Doesn't matter to some women. Maybe it turns her on," came her partner's reply.

Bella smiled and leaned in close. They hadn't heard her approach and she got a sick thrill out of surprising her students in compromising positions.

"Maybe you should just ask her." Bella was pretty sure that they were talking about her, and sure enough they both jumped out of their seats and stared at her with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Swan. We weren't gossiping. Just practicing our soliloquy for next week." Jennifer's blonde curls and blue eyes may have given her the appearance of innocence, but she was actually the class manipulator.

"I'd hate to have to assign you detention."

"Ms. Swan, have I mentioned how lovely you look today? Your scarf brings out the gold in your eyes." Jonathon thought he was a smooth talker, but he had so much to learn.

Bella rolled her eyes and got the pair back on track. The bell rang moments later, and she thought about what they'd said as they exited the room. It was true; the school did have a fairly strict honor code which included "no gossiping." They apparently had a major problem with it a few years ago and had been forced to integrate it in as a permanent addition to the code.

She was more curious about what she apparently didn't know and who the "he" in question was. She had a fairly good idea, but chalked it up to curiosity of the student body. Someone must have seen how much time she and Edward were spending together, and the idea of a school romance between two of their teachers was more interesting than discussing their geometry homework.

She couldn't even ask the other teachers about it. Bella, like all the school's staff, had signed a confidentiality agreement. Article 2, subparagraph ii clearly stated that the staff's private affairs were not to be discussed on or off property, blah blah blah. Bella got it – no gossiping for the staff either. It seemed like a pretty fair rule to her, so she didn't care.

At the end of the day, the strange behavior of the student body was forgotten when Alice showed up at her classroom with a large, black pot.

"Is that a replacement for the flower pot I killed last night?" Bella still felt bad about that, but she'd planned on buying Alice a new one.

"No. It's time for the next phase of GROJP."

"Oh. I thought we were done with that." She wasn't looking forward to spending any more time or energy on Jacob, actually. He was firmly in her past and she had someone much more interesting and exciting in her future.

"Silly Bella," Alice said, like it explained everything.

"So, what are we going to do?"

"We are going to your apartment and we're going to burn all your Jacob paraphernalia."

Bella bit her lip and looked at her friend with guilt in her eyes. "I don't have any Jacob paraphernalia."

"Listen, I know this sounds painful, but it's for the best. I went through a lot of boyfriends before I found Jasper, and its better just to get rid of the little reminders that you have hanging around. They tend to sit there, staring you down and then they fester. They slowly burn through your resolve and before you know it, you're standing on his front lawn at 6 am singing his favorite song at the top of your lungs. Bella – we've all been there."

Bella shook her head and laughed. "Do we have to burn my stuff though? It seems so destructive...and permanent."

"Exactly. It's final. No remorseful digging through the trash. No begging your parents to call the plumber to retrieve what you've flushed down the toilet."

"Right. So, fire."

"Exactly."

Two hours later, Alice had Bella in tears.

"Not Mr. Fluffynutters. Please, Alice. I've had him since I was 8 years old. He sleeps with me every night."

"Bella – I told you everything must go. Besides, if you play your cards right, you'll have someone else to sleep with every night instead."

"I don't think I like you very much right now."

"I don't care."

They'd gone through Bella's entire apartment, placing pieces of her life into the black pot. Ticket stubs from movies she and Jacob had seen together. A plastic frog that he'd found in the riverbank and given to her. Pieces of a broken bike lock that they'd shared because it was cheaper to have one bike lock rather than two.

Bella had ranted and raved the entire time. Alice wasn't going to burn just souvenirs of a crush; she was preparing to set her entire childhood on fire.

"What if we just burn things from the teenage years? I have a whole box we haven't gone through yet that has lots of good stuff. Alice, I can't stand the thought of getting rid of all this stuff. This is my entire life!"

Alice paused in the process of putting the stuffed bunny, Mr. Fluffynutters, into the black pot. She held him ominously over the lid of the pot, leaving him dangling as if awaiting the hangman's noose. Bella felt her own throat constrict at the thought.

"You may have a point, Bella. BUT, let me see what's in this mystery box first, and then maybe we'll give Mr. Fluffynutters a reprieve."

Bella sighed in relief and ducked into her closet to bring out the small packing box labeled "Lumiere." She carefully ripped the tape off the top and removed its contents one by one, placing them on the bed.

She placed a trucker's hat, a scarf, what appeared to be an old dried-up weed, three postcards, a hospital bracelet, and a "Hello! My Name is" sticker.

Alice watched the entire process, fascinated by each new article as it was removed and carefully placed on the bed. When Bella was done, she put the box on the floor and touched each piece reverently.

She picked up the hat first and put it on her head. She smiled at the memory playing through her mind.

"I snuck out of the house one night during my junior year – it was a school night. Charlie would have killed me had he known. Jake and some of his buddies from the reservation were driving up to Port Angeles because they'd heard that one of their favorite bands was giving a secret concert at the record store there. I didn't want to miss out on the fun, so I went with them. When we got to the record store it seemed like everyone in the entire state was there. They weren't letting anybody else into the store, and the police were outside trying to send everyone else home. Jake and Quil decided that we should sneak in through the back door, but that way was blocked too. Long story short, we found the band's bus parked two blocks away and waited beside it in the freezing cold and rain for three hours. Finally, this group of 4 guys came along, and they had all sorts of security around them, and a bunch of screaming girls chasing them down the street. By this time, Jake decided that if he can't get an autograph, then he's going home with something. So, the security guys pushed us back out of the way so the band could board the bus, and the thing was, Jake's a tall guy, and he was over 6' even when he was 15, so he's got these freakishly long arms. He reached around the one guy that was holding him back out of the way, and plucked this hat off the drummer's head. The guy must not have cared too much about it, because he boarded the bus without a word, the rest of the entourage scrambled on and the bus took off down the road. Jake was holding this hat like it was the winning lottery ticket. He was so excited. On the way home, Jake and I were sitting in the back seat together. Quil had fallen asleep up front, but their friend Embry was driving so he wasn't paying us any attention. Jacob took the hat out of his pocket, plunked it down on my head and said, 'It looks better on you anyway.' I wore it everyday for three months."

She smiled at Alice sadly and placed it into the pot. She picked up the scarf next.

"This is the only Christmas present he ever gave me. I don't know what possessed him that one year, because we didn't usually exchange presents. Anyway, I never wore it because I was afraid I would lose it or trip and rip it to shreds." The scarf joined the hat in the pot.

Bella picked up the weedy-looking twig next. "Mistletoe. My dad found it growing in one of the trees out back one year. I climbed the tree one Saturday while he was at work, cut a piece down, put it in my pocket and drove like a madwoman to Jake's house. I'd decided I wanted him to kiss me, and if he wasn't going to make the first move, then I would force him into it. He wasn't home when I got there, so I sat and watched TV with his dad all afternoon. By the time Jacob got home, it had been sitting in my pocket for hours and was smushed and wilted beyond all recognition. I never did get my kiss." That memory wouldn't be so hard to burn after all, and Bella smiled when she tossed it in.

"The summer he turned 11, Jacob was sent to the Shoalwater Reservation to stay with his cousin's husband's family. I cried when they took him away. He was my best friend and I was destined to spend the entire summer alone. He sent me three postcards that summer. I think his cousin made him do it, but I read them over and over, running my fingers over the indents that the pen made on the paper." Bella fingered the postcard and added them to the pile.

She picked up the hospital bracelet next and laughed. "This is just one of many. I had so many accidents. This is from the one time it actually wasn't my fault that I ended up in the hospital. Appendectomy when I was 16. Jacob and his dad came to visit me after I got out of surgery. It was the only time I'd ever seen Jacob look scared about anything. Apparently, they'd barely caught it in time and my appendix was on the verge of bursting. Jacob sat and held my hand for hours, rubbing his thumb along this dumb bracelet. I almost hated to cut it off when I got home, but I figured the hospital would just be confused when I showed up for my next visit." Bella sighed and placed it on top of the postcards. The pot was almost full now.

The final item on Bella's bed was actually the most important piece of all.

"I was wearing this name tag the day I decided to take the job at Cullen Academy. I'd been in town that day, looking for work close to home in my desperate attempt to stay in Forks. The grocery store was having a mini job fair. They had some tables set up with some employment brochures and the managers were there giving interviews. Everyone was wearing a name tag, which was kind of silly because we all know each other in Forks, but I put one on too. I spoke to Mr. Barnaby, who was the general manager, and he kept staring at my chest. He promised to get back to me about an interview. It wasn't until that night, after I'd called Emmett and accepted the job and was getting ready for bed that I found the name tag. Mr. Barnaby hadn't been staring at my boobs – he'd been staring at my blank name tag. I'd forgotten to write my name on it. Alice, this stupid name tag made me realize that I felt just as blank as it looked. I didn't know who I was, where I was going, or what I even wanted to do anymore. I felt like a blank slate, which I realize now was kind of a good thing. I get to write myself over. Not everybody gets to do that. I may not yet know exactly who I am, but the picture is getting so much clearer now. I'm not a blank name tag anymore, Alice."

Bella took a pen out of her purse and uncapped it. She wrote her name on the empty space and stuck it to the front of her shirt. "I'm Isabella," she told Alice proudly.

Alice hugged her and whispered, "I'm so freaking proud of you."

Alice handed her Mr. Fluffynutters. "You've earned him."

"I wish I could be a better woman and give him up, but I can't give up all the good memories too, Alice." Bella hugged her stuffed bunny to her chest and gave him a kiss right between his ears.

They carried the pot into Bella's bathroom and set it into her tub. Bella had the shower ready in case any stray sparks found their way outside the pot.

Alice lit a match and tossed it into the pot.

It didn't flare up quickly like Bella thought it would. The flame danced around the pieces of her life, leaving a glowing trail in its wake. She watched the bits and pieces curl and disintegrate from the heat and burn of the fire. The hat took the longest to burn, and didn't smell very good either. Fortunately, she had a vent in the bathroom that took care of most of the odor.

When Bella's memories had been reduced to a pile of ash, Alice took the pot out of the tub and headed towards the door to make her way home.

"So, we're done with GROJP now, right?" Bella couldn't imagine that anything else needed to be done about Jacob. She felt like that weight had been lifted completely and she was ready to move on – hopefully with Edward.

"Almost," Alice said right before she winked and closed the door behind her.

Bella was afraid to ask what came next.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews for the last chapter! I'm so glad everyone is enjoying the story.**

**We get the end of GROJP, some girl talk and Edward and Bella's first date in this chapter. This is also the longest chapter to date, so take your time with it. Please. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer. **

Edward was waiting for Bella when she pulled into the parking lot Wednesday morning. He was leaning against his car, arms crossed, with a bored expression on his face, but Bella could tell he was brimming with excitement. His hair was sticking up at all angles as if he'd run his hands through it repeatedly, and his socks didn't match. One was black, the other had small polka dots.

Bella pulled into the spot next to his and Edward loped over to help her with her things. He pulled her laptop case off the backseat and shut her door.

"Morning," Bella said shyly. If she'd known she was going to see him first thing this morning, she would have brushed her hair before she left the house. She woke up late and rushed around her apartment getting ready, but forgot all about her hair until she got into the car. She'd planned on fixing it in the ladies room, but now that Edward was here, she could only hope that a quick pat down would tame the frizzies.

"Guess what?" he asked, unable to conceal the smile that was playing at his lips.

"You got the job," Bella answered. She knew by the bounce in his step and the way his eyes shined so brightly. He only ever got this excited about his music.

"We did!" He suddenly sat her laptop down on the pavement and picked Bella up and swung her around in a circle.

Bella laughed and smacked his shoulder. "Edward, put me down. Everyone can see." It was one thing to ask the staff not to gossip, but it was quite another to supply the fodder for their fun right under their noses. They didn't need to tempt them any more than necessary.

"I don't think I care today," he said, but he set her back down on the ground anyway. "Bella, you have no idea what this means."

"So, tell me," she said as they started walking towards the building.

"It means playing to a bigger audience, the chance to get other gigs, hell, we might even get the chance to record now too."

Bella wasn't sure that she fully grasped what this one job meant to Edward.

"Is this something that you want to do, like for a career?" Bella had just assumed that he wanted to keep teaching. That's what he'd been doing for several years, right?

"This is what I went to school for. My bachelor's is in performance and I have a master's in composition…this has always been my dream, Bella."

"So, teaching hasn't been your dream since you were a little boy?" she asked. Bella pictured him as a little kid: unruly hair, missing teeth, clothes probably mismatched and dirty. She was sure his parents must have tons of photos at their house. Maybe she'd get the chance to see them one day.

"No, teaching hasn't always been my dream. I started teaching here after school because Emmett had just taken over and he needed someone to fill in for the old music teacher. There was some discontent amongst some of the older staff when he was named principal. Some thought he was too young, and the previous music teacher was apparently one of them. I stayed because the benefits were great, I got my summers off, and it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be to get paying gigs."

Bella found that hard to believe. He was so brilliant; he should have been getting offers from major labels long before now. And here he was excited over a mid-size club in Chicago. She admittedly didn't know anything about the music business, but she had a feeling that Edward was on the verge of something great.

By this time, Bella realized they had walked all the way up to her room together. She put her stuff down and glanced at the clock. They still had a few minutes to chat.

Angela interrupted by knocking on her door. "Hey, Bella… oh, hi, Edward." Angela shifted her eyes to Bella in question. Bella smiled and shook her head minutely to the unspoken question. She'd have to fill her in later.

"I was wondering if you'd take my lunch shift today. I have to run out to the bank before it closes. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't really important."

Angela ran the math league during her lunch period. Bella had sat in for her once before. The kids were good and Bella hadn't really done much except sit and watch them argue over theorems and proofs. Thankfully, none of the students had asked for her help. That would have been laughable.

"Of course."

"Thanks Bella. I'll save a seat for you at the staff meeting after school today?" Angela looked at Edward briefly.

Bella always sat with Angela at their weekly meeting. She didn't see any reason to change that tradition now. "Sounds good."

Angela waved goodbye to the both of them.

"So I guess you don't need me to save a table in the lounge today then." Edward looked a little sad at the thought.

"I'm sorry, no. But tomorrow – definitely."

Edward sighed and headed towards the door when the first of Bella's students started to trickle in. "I'll see you at the meeting then." Bella nodded her agreement and got back to the business of getting ready for the day. If she wasn't careful, Edward would have her completely distracted and she'd show up for school in her underwear.

* * *

Emmett held a staff meeting once a week after school. It was usually on Wednesday, and this week was no exception. Bella made her way down to the library after all her students had left for the day. The meetings usually lasted only about 15 minutes, and Bella hoped today was one of their short meeting days. Alice was dragging her to the bookstore after school. Ok, Alice wasn't really dragging her, Bella was actually excited about this adventure, but she didn't want to spend her entire afternoon at school.

Bella found Angela in the second row, saving her a seat as usual. Not many of the staff had made it down to the library yet, and Bella didn't see Alice or Edward.

"Thanks again for watching the math leaguers today. No problems?"

Bella laughed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, the captain…what's his name – Tom?...he got into an argument with one of the other students over matrix multiplication. It got ugly there for a minute. Calculators were thrown, protractors broken…"

"You're hilarious Bella." Angela laughed along with her. "I'm impressed with your mathematical vocabulary though."

"Don't be. I thought they were talking about a movie at first." Just then, Bella felt a tap on her shoulder and a warm, solid body slide into the chair next to her. She knew who it was without even turning her head. Angela's eyes had widened again, and Bella had that sparky feeling back.

Bella turned to say hello to Edward, but her breath got stuck in her throat. She felt almost as if she was seeing him for the first time. A shaft of light from one of the windows high up in the library shone down across his face. His golden skin seemed to shimmer and his hair seemed two shades lighter. His green eyes reflected the light as if it shone from within.

Bella blushed when she realized he was waiting for a reply to his greeting. She mumbled hello and looked away. When had Edward Cullen turned so beautiful? He'd always been good-looking, but Bella couldn't stop sneaking peaks at him now. He noticed her covert glances and sat up a little straighter in his chair.

While Bella had been otherwise occupied, Emmett had come into the library and was gathering some papers at the front of them room. He called for everyone's attention, and Bella noticed that he seemed out of sorts. She'd never seen Emmett in a bad mood before.

He quickly ran through the usual school business, reminding everyone about upcoming events at the school, an in-service day for the staff that was next week, and a call for chaperones for the Homecoming Dance. Normally, this would have been the end of the meeting, but Emmett had clearly been building up to something.

"As I'm sure you've all heard by now, a student at Garfield Elementary snuck a gun into school yesterday. Fortunately, his teacher found it before anything happened, and she should be commended for her swift response and rational thinking. I feel confident that none of our own students would do such a thing, but we always need to be prepared for any such an event. When the board meets next week, they'll be reviewing the school's emergency policies and procedures. We have to stay on top of these types of situations. I also want to mention that several of the local newspapers ran articles this morning with quotes from the staff at the school about the incident, and I need to remind you about our own policies. Do not speak to the press about Cullen Academy affairs. If you are contacted by anyone looking for a statement, refer them to the main office and we will handle it."

Bella looked around the room as her coworkers started murmuring. She hadn't heard about this incident, and was curious.

Emmett was forced to raise his voice now to be heard above the continued whispers. "Each and every employee of this school has signed a confidentiality agreement. It's standard for this school, and for many other private educational institutions. Any breach of this agreement will result in your immediate dismissal and termination of your contract."

Bella had never seen Emmett look so serious before. He really meant business. Bella wasn't concerned about ever being in breach of her contract: she loved this school and would never do anything that might cause her to be let go.

She turned to say something to Edward, but was struck by the look on his face. He looked angry. Angry like when she'd first met him. Angry like the times he'd accused her of sleeping with his brother. Angry as if this whole extended staff meeting today had something to do with him.

"Edward?" she asked, nervous of his reaction.

His hardened eyes turned on her, and she almost gasped at the pain of it. He hadn't looked at her like that in weeks. Lately, his eyes had been clear…so clear. Today they looked like the choppy ocean waves off the coast back home.

He closed his eyes for a moment, and Bella watched whatever he'd been holding on to seep out of his body. When he opened his eyes again, the anger was gone. They looked more like a muddy puddle now. But that was better than they'd looked a moment ago.

"Are you ok?" she asked. It was obvious something was bothering him.

"Yeah," he finally whispered back, and nodded his head back towards Emmett, who was trying to regain control of the meeting. Several people had questions and Emmett was trying to answer them.

"If you need more clarification, or have a specific situation you need to discuss, please come see me in my office. Otherwise, that's all I have this week." Emmett turned and took off down the hall like his feet were on fire. He was really irritated about something.

Angela excused herself and hurried back to her classroom. She'd mentioned that Ben was coming to pick her up, so Bella waved and smiled as she took off.

What Bella hadn't expected to find was an empty chair and Edward gone when she turned back. She searched the library and found him stalking towards the music room. On impulse, she decided to follow him.

She found him in the dark, like the last time she'd ventured into his music room. He was fiddling with the TV/DVD player that stood in the corner of the room.

"Bella, I kind of need to be alone right now." He must have heard her shoes against the carpet because she hadn't said a word, and he was facing away from her. She wasn't quite sure how he knew it was her though.

"I…you seem upset. Is there anything I can do?" She didn't want to leave him like this. He seemed more sad than angry now, but she didn't like either emotion on him.

He finally turned around to face her, but he wouldn't look at her. He kept his gaze fixed on the floor, watching his foot dig an imaginary hole into the carpet.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I just need to think some things through."

"Is this about what Emmett was talking about? The gun that kid had in school?" Her spidey senses were on high alert now. He was obviously troubled by something that Emmett had mentioned. She wanted him to confide in her.

"No. Not really. Look – there's something I should probably tell you." He paused for a moment, still staring at his feet. "I don't express myself very well. I'm more of a thinker, a contemplator, if you will. I'm not used to sharing my thoughts and feelings with anyone else. I…I'm fighting that feeling right now, Bella. I think that I want to share some things with you, but I'm not very good at this," he waved his hands back and forth between the two of them, "so, I'm hoping you'll be patient with me. I like you, Bella. A lot. I want to get to know you better, and I want you to know me better to, but it's something I'm going to have to work on."

"Oh," Bella said, which sounded completely inadequate to her own ears. Edward had just made some form of a declaration, but she was still trying to sift her mind amongst the pieces of it. Frankly, she wasn't sure what type of reaction he needed or expected.

Edward grabbed his coat and headed towards the door. He still hadn't looked at her, and that was starting to get on her nerves.

She strode across the room in four very long strides and stood quietly right behind him. He had paused in the action of opening the door to his classroom, so he must have sensed her presence right behind him – again.

"Edward, please look at me." His hand seemed to tighten on the door handle, and Bella was afraid that her request was going to be ignored. She really hoped that didn't happen.

She watched his fingers ungrip the handle, one by one. His hand fell to his side, and he turned around to face her. This time, his eyes bored into her own.

The sea had returned, but it was neither as dark nor as choppy before. There were flashes of light, and the surf was much more benign now. Bella sighed in relief.

"I'll see you at lunch tomorrow?"

Edward smiled at her in thanks. It was difficult to let him leave without talking through whatever was bothering him, but she was going to abide by his wishes. For now.

Bella reached her hand up and placed it on the side of his face. She didn't hesitate in doing this. She needed the contact almost as much as he needed the comfort. She felt the rasp of his whiskers against her fingertips. His skin was so much rougher than her own.

Edward leaned into her hand briefly and closed his eyes. Before Bella could do much else, he was gone, leaving her alone in the darkened music room.

* * *

Bella's mood improved the moment she and Alice arrived in the parking lot of the Sheffield Book Emporium. She'd only made the trip once before by herself, and was looking forward to having Alice along this time. The bookstore was always more exciting with someone along to enjoy it with you. Especially someone who also liked to read.

The Book Emporium wasn't large, but it did have a decent selection of books, and a small café in the corner of the store. A bell rang over the door when they entered, and the woman behind the front counter nodded at them and said hello.

Bella breathed in the smell of new books and headed towards the fiction section. Alice took off for the opposite side of the store. Bella quickly perused the new releases and the staff recommendations, and found a romance she'd been waiting to be released. She tried to limit her purchases to three books per trip. Otherwise, she would spend her entire paycheck at the bookstore.

She took her time strolling up and down the aisles, stopping to pick up books that looked interesting. Usually, Bella was looking for a specific author when she visited the bookstore, but sometimes she liked to branch out and try new things. She found two more books over the next half hour that looked promising, and headed off to find Alice.

She found her in an unexpected place: the business section. She was reading a book called "Crash Proof: How to Profit From the Coming Economic Collapse." Bella scrunched her eyes up in surprise. She had no idea that Alice had any interest in the stock market or economics.

"Did you find a good book?" She asked when she couldn't take being ignored any longer.

"I did," Alice answered enigmatically.

"It looks interesting." Bella was fishing, but she was really curious about Alice's book.

"I'm trying to protect my investments, alright? We've taken a beating in the stock market and our portfolio could stand to be a little stronger." Alice was speaking another language. Bella knew next to nothing about saving money, investing money, heck having any money except what she used to pay the bills.

"Oh." She wanted to say something more to make it seem like she was knowledgeable, but it was a hopeless cause. "Well, are you almost done shopping?"

"I am. I just want to look in the art section first." Now, that was the Alice that Bella knew and loved. She probably wanted to pick out a book on interior design.

Alice's next book selection was just as surprising as the first. But for a different reason.

"'The Big Penis Book'? Alice!" Bella was mortified. She looked up and down the aisle they were standing in, hoping that no one would walk past and see them looking at…that.

"Bella, stop acting like a simpering virgin. I know you know what a penis looks like."

Bella wanted to stomp her foot and deny it. She huffed instead.

"Besides, this is research. I'm writing my master's thesis on western society's predilection to shame and prohibition of the male nude in popular culture. It's riveting stuff." Bella watched her flip through the pages of the book quickly, and her mouth dropped. All of the men pictured were quite large, and it made Bella nervous. The one penis she'd ever seen hadn't looked anything like that. Of course, that was six years ago and she hadn't spent much time examining it.

"Wait. You're writing a thesis? I didn't know you were going to school." Where did she find the time to do all this stuff? She and Alice had been glued together for weeks, and Bella hadn't seen her doing anything like studying or attending classes.

"I've already taken most of the classes I need to get my master's. I just need to write my thesis and I'll practically be done. Hmmm…this book isn't exactly what I'm looking for." She put it back on the shelf and pulled out another book a few slots over.

This one was called "Fully Exposed: The Male Nude in Photography." This book, at least, seemed a bit more tasteful, in Bella's opinion. She tried to wait patiently while Alice flipped through the pages, but she couldn't stop fidgeting.

"Why don't you go get some tea while I'm doing this," Alice finally suggested. She didn't have to ask Bella twice, because she took off for the café like she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

Bella got her cup of tea and settled into one of the large comfy chairs in the corner of the shop. The sun had set already, but Bella spent a few moments people-watching while she waited for her tea to cool. She was, again, fascinated by Alice. She learned something new about her everyday. It made Bella wonder what else she was hiding though. How many secrets could one person hold on to?

Alice arrived a few minutes later with her own cup of coffee. She had the finance book and naked men book under one arm, and a larger book underneath the other. She looked as if she'd discovered the Holy Grail and Bella wondered what surprise she had now.

"Bella, this book has given me the perfect idea for the last step. I've been wracking my brain for two days, and when I saw this, I knew it was perfect."

"Last step for what?" Bella had no idea what she was talking about. She watched Alice place the pile of books in her lap and her coffee on the small end table in between their chairs.

"GROJP of course."

Bella groaned. This had seriously gotten out of hand. "Alice, please tell me that we're at the end of this. You had me set fire to all my stuff just yesterday. What else could I possibly have left to do?" Bella was positive that she didn't need any more GROJPing. Jacob was out of her life. She'd moved on and her life was finally taking shape. Plus, she was worried about what could be left to do. Some weird ritual requiring blood and a sacrifice?

"You wound me, Bella, right here," Alice said, with a fake tear in her eye, pointing to her heart. Bella rolled her eyes in response. "Fine, I see that all my hard work, blood, sweat, and tears have been in vain. The great ones never have their achievements recognized until after they're dead anyway. I can only hope for some show of gratitude from you when you're at my funeral."

"Drama queen much?" Bella asked. Alice sat in her chair and pouted. Bella couldn't resist the pout. "Ok – you win. I'm sorry, oh great one. Please tell me what this final step is."

The pout disappeared instantly and Alice pulled the bottom book from the pile.

"Tattoos!" she squealed.

Bella looked between her friend and the colorful book on her lap. Yes, the book was all about tattoos. The woman pictured on the cover was covered almost head to toe with them in fact. Bella had never wanted a tattoo. She didn't see any reason to start now.

"Are you suggesting that I get a tattoo?" Bella had to make sure that she was reading the signs right, no matter how wrong they seemed to be.

"Absolutely! We'll take Rose and Angela with us tomorrow. Maybe we can all get matching tattoos, just like the Fellowship of the Ring!" Alice practically vibrated from the excitement of her idea.

Bella sat in stony silence and pondered the best way to let her friend down gently. There was no way in hell she was going to get a tattoo.

"This sounds like a great plan, but there's no way I'm getting a tattoo." That didn't come out quite as gently as Bella had planned.

"Don't be difficult Bella. This part is absolutely necessary. You need to announce to the world that you have taken back your freedom and you're ready to move on."

"Is an announcement really necessary? I know that I'm all those things, and you know that I'm all those things. Who cares if everyone else knows? And its not like I would go around showing off an inappropriately-placed tattoo to everyone I meet."

Alice was quiet for a moment. "You may have a point. But I still think this is necessary. It's more symbolic than anything else. Out with the old Bella, in with the new and all that."

Alice did make some amount of sense. And she was hardly ever wrong. Bella was leaning towards the dark side once again, but she had to draw the line somewhere.

"Can't I do something else? Some other Freedom Statement?"

"'Freedom Statement' – I like it. Good work, Bella," Alice told her while the wheels continued to churn.

"Thanks," Bella said hesitantly. She had the thought that Alice was actually serious about all these GROJP steps. Bella had thought that she'd been making it up as she went along, but Alice actually seemed to have a master plan. Bella thought back to everything they'd gone through in the past few weeks.

The first part had been clear: keeping her mind off of Jacob. That mission had been accomplished successfully. The next step had seemed to be "embarrass Bella at any expense by pushing strange men at her", but maybe that step needed to be reconsidered. All those outings had been more about getting out of the house and learning to interact with people again. Skills that she never had because she'd never wanted to interact with anyone other than Jacob. Next had been dating, which technically was going to be an ongoing step. The fourth step had been the burning of the memories. And now, this "Freedom Statement."

Huh – maybe Alice actually knew what she was doing.

Alice snapped her fingers and rattled off a list of possible alternates. Bella cringed at most of them, but finally chose the one that seemed the least painful. She hoped that she was not making a huge mistake.

With the final step settled, they got in line to pay for their purchases. The crowd in the store had grown while they were sipping their drinks, and the line was seven people deep. Bella thought over her work to do at home for the evening. She had some grades to enter into the system but that was about it. She could spend the rest of the day prepping for their adventure after school tomorrow.

She was digging through her purse for her wallet when she felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out and looked at the caller id, afraid to see who was calling. She had a bad feeling that she knew who it was, and didn't want Alice to find out. Alice would be so mad.

Sure enough, Jacob's name appeared on the screen. She pushed the button to send the call to voicemail and put the phone back in her purse. She looked up to find Alice's beady eyes narrowed at her.

"Who was that?" she asked.

Bella bit her lip and lied. "My dad. I'll call him back later." She hoped that Alice was going to let this go.

Alice nodded her head and was thankfully called up next to the register. Bella breathed out in relief. That was one argument she could avoid for the day.

A few minutes later, they walked out of the bookstore and towards Alice's car. They'd driven to the bookstore together since it was almost 30 miles away.

Alice unlocked the car with her remote and Bella opened the passenger door to put her things in the car. She placed her purse on the front seat and opened the back door to place her bag of books on the seat in the back.

She shut the door and turned to get into the car. That was when she noticed that her purse had disappeared. Bella looked around the interior frantically. She was positive that she'd put it on the seat.

The sound of a pair of heels clacking against the pavement in a desperate attempt to run away entered into her consciousness. Bella looked through the open door of the driver's side and found her former best friend running across the parking lot with Bella's purse carefully secured underneath her arm like a football.

"Alice!" Bella called out, hoping to slow her down. She needed to catch her before she dug out her cell phone. Bella should have deleted the last incoming call off her phone log, but she'd been so sure that her lie had been believable.

Bella took off after her friend, but it was hopeless. Alice had already rounded the corner of the building and was probably scrolling through the list of calls at that very moment. Bella gave up on the pursuit. She should have known better than try and fool Alice. She walked dejectedly back to the car to await her executioner.

She didn't have to wait long.

Bella had expected to see her friend's face filled with disappointment. Instead, she was furious.

Alice tossed her purse at her as she settled into the car. "How long has this been going on?" Alice was livid. The vein in her forehead was throbbing and her skin was flushed, which was either from her run across the parking lot or whatever anger was coursing through her system.

Bella clasped her hands and looked down at her lap. She was suddenly ashamed. She'd never meant to make Alice mad or disappointed. After all the things she'd done for her, and this was how she repaid her: by lying and keeping secrets.

"Since the night we went to Chicago," Bella whispered. She couldn't look at the anger and hurt on Alice's face anymore.

Alice didn't start the car. They continued to sit in the dark and silence of the parking lot. Bella wished that Alice would say something to her – anything.

"I don't know what to say to you Bella. After all the hard work we've put in to help you, and all this time you've been talking to him behind our backs. I thought you wanted him out of your life! How can you possibly move on if you're going to keep pretending that everything is ok between the two of you? And what about Edward? Have you told him? Because I think you need to tell him if you're going to continue this strange relationship with Jacob."

Bella had let Alice ramble on longer than necessary, but she was so stricken with disbelief that she was paralyzed. Alice thought that she was still talking to Jake? Had she lost her mind?

It was the sound of Edward's name that snapped her out of her stupor.

"Wait. You think that I've been talking to Jacob all this time? No, Alice, that's just it. I've been refusing to take his calls. Yes, he's been calling me, but I haven't ever answered the phone or returned any of his messages. I was serious when I told you that I was ready to move on. I am ready – I'm more than ready. Jacob is firmly in my past. This is exactly why I didn't tell you that he'd been calling me. I knew you would be upset."

It was Alice's turn to look at Bella in disbelief. "So, you're not still holding a torch for him and all of that? You're not talking to him?"

"Of course not! How crazy would that be? This is the new Bella, remember? I like the new Bella. She's here to stay. I can't go back to the way things were before. The way I was."

"Oh, Bella!" Alice said as she jumped across the seat to pull her in for a hug. "Thank God."

"I'm sorry Alice. I should have told you about the calls from the beginning. Please don't be mad."

"I'm not mad. At least, not at you. But we're not going to worry about him any more tonight. Or tomorrow. The next 24 hours is our time to celebrate the Declaration of Bella's Freedom."

"That sounds like a good plan to me." Bella was ready: Ready to celebrate, ready to declare and most importantly, ready for her date with Edward on Friday.

* * *

By the next afternoon, Bella was having second thoughts about the final stage of GROJP.

"I'm not sure this is the best idea, Alice. Maybe the body piercing was the better way to go after all."

The four of them were riding in Rosalie's BMW X5. She had met Bella, Alice, and Angela at school at the end of the day so they could ride together. She'd ceremoniously placed George on Emmett's desk, still strapped into his car seat and told him, "It's your turn." Bella had laughed at the look on Emmett's face. He was more than surprised – bewildered would be a better word for it. Rosalie clearly hadn't warned him that he was on baby duty for a few hours. She'd turned and flipped her hair behind her as she left the office, waggling her fingers on the way out.

And now they were on their way to Rosalie's apparent favoritist place in the whole world, or so she'd told Bella just moments ago.

"Don't be a baby, Bella. It's not going to hurt," Rosalie said from the front seat. She stared Bella down in the rear view mirror, and Bella sank back into the leather of her own seat. She might have been able to finagle Alice into a different course of action, but there was no changing Rosalie's mind. You didn't argue with Rosalie.

Angela leaned over and squeezed Bella's hand. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm nervous too."

Bella mouthed a thanks to Angela and watched Alice and Rosalie exchange a look in the front seat. A line had been drawn and two teams formed: those all for the trip to the salon, and those against. Bella breathed deeply and kept repeating to herself that this was a good plan. It had been her choice after all. She just didn't realize how attached she was to her hair.

An hour later, it was over. Bella's long curls lay in a pile on the floor of Gianna's Day Spa. What had once been waist-long hair now only hung to the top of Bella's shoulders. The actually cutting process had been quick and easy, like pulling off a band-aid. But now that she could see the evidence of the destruction, Bella wanted to cry.

Angela, who had been told that she needed her eyebrows waxed in addition to "just a trim," came and stood by her side.

"Do you think they'd let me take it home?" Bella whispered.

"Your hair?" Angela looked at her perplexed.

"Yeah. I don't want to leave it here. I feel like I'm leaving a friend behind."

Angela nodded her head and quickly looked from left to right. She bent down and scooped the pile of Bella's curls into her hands and motioned for Bella to open her purse. She dumped the entire pile in and Bella zipped it closed. They both looked around for any sign of Alice or Rosalie. They would definitely not approve.

"Thanks," Bella whispered.

Angela patted her shoulder. "You're welcome. By the way, I'm impressed. I don't think I could have cut my hair like that without crying." Angela's own dirty blonde hair hung to the middle of her back. It wasn't as long as Bella's had been only moments ago, but Bella understood.

"I don't want Rose to see me cry. She's not the most sensitive person." Bella was still amazed at the spa treatment Rosalie was receiving during their trip: a full body waxing. Bella cringed at the thought, and tried not to think about Rose's husband's reaction. She refused to even think his name at that moment because she didn't want to think about her boss like that – ever.

Alice had opted for a mani and a pedi, and Bella and Angela headed towards that side of the room to see how far she'd progressed.

Alice's eyes lit up as soon as she saw them. "Oh, Bella, it looks terrific! You're going to love having shorter hair. It's so much easier to take care of."

"Thanks," Bella said as she fingered her newly shorn tresses. She wasn't sure how much she loved the haircut yet though. She'd always had long hair. She'd trimmed the ends herself over the years, but she'd never been to a professional stylist before. She was still reeling from the experience.

Alice appeared to be in the drying stage of the process, so they just needed to wait for Rosalie.

"Do you know how much longer she'll be?" Bella asked, looking at the clock on the wall. She had a test to write when she got home and she needed a couple hours to put it together.

"Probably not much longer." Alice answered while checking the stickiness of her fingertips.

Bella and Angela talked quietly for a few more minutes until out of the corner of her eye she spotted Rosalie's long legs coming out of the room in back. Rosalie really was one of the most gorgeous women she'd ever seen. She even had the supermodel walk down pat, Bella thought as Rosalie strutted towards the front counter. Bella felt like a woodland elf standing next to the queen of the fairies in comparison.

When Bella tried to pay for her haircut moments later, she was informed that Mrs. Cullen had taken care of it. Bella rolled her eyes in dismay. Of course Mrs. Cullen had taken care of it. Bella hated having her friends pay for her stuff. She could pay for her own haircut. She squared her shoulders and stiffened her resolve. Rosalie needed to know that she couldn't just throw her money around all the time.

But when Bella approached Rosalie in the lobby, she was disarmed by the very she-cat she'd been so determined to declaw.

"Bella, your hair looks great. I hope you don't mind that I paid for it. Please just consider it a present from me and Emmett."

Crap – why did she have to drag Emmett's name into this? Bella would do almost anything for her boss, including graciously accepting a haircut on his behalf. She swallowed her determination, thanked Rosalie, and docilely followed her to the car. It was almost impossible to say no to Rosalie when she was acting nice for once.

On the car ride home, Bella started having second thoughts again.

"Do you think Edward will like it?" She asked, hesitantly throwing his name out there. He'd been in her thoughts all day, and she was nervous about his reaction to her hair. What if he hated it?

"I don't think it's your hair that he's attracted to," Alice replied.

Bella wasn't so sure. He'd seemed very interested in her hair just the other day, right before he'd almost kissed her. Bella closed her eyes and replayed the memory of that night in her head. He'd smiled at her as he'd rubbed her hair between his fingers. Her breathing had become erratic at the nearness of his presence. She swore that he had sniffed it too, right before he'd leaned in…

"Earth to Bella!" Alice called. Bella's eyes popped open and she was met with the trilling laughter of her friends.

"Bella's got it bad," Rosalie sang.

"I…I…that is," Bella sputtered, embarrassed at being caught in her daydream. "Shut up," she finally muttered under her breath.

"Don't be embarrassed Bella," Alice said in obvious response to the blush creeping across her face. "Edward is great. It's totally understandable that the mere mention of his name gets your panties wet."

More laughter filled the car. Bella sat up straight, ready to defend the state of her panties. "He doesn't…They don't…I don't know what you mean." She crossed her arms across her chest.

"Don't get all Victorian on us. You're amongst friends, you can share. I don't mind telling you that my husband loves it when I don't wear any underwear at all." This revelation came from Rosalie. Bella was tempted to stick her fingers in her ears and start singing, "La la la la la," just so she wouldn't have to hear any more about what Emmett did or didn't like.

"You know the mirror in my room? The one placed right above the bed? Jasper's idea," Alice informed her. This had gone from bad to worse. Did Bella really want to know about the sex lives of her friends?

"Ben likes to have sex outside. Like, in public." Bella stared at Angela in horror. She'd expected this from her friends in the front seat, but the fact that Angela was sharing anything at all was surprising. She was usually so quiet. She shrugged at Bella and said, "What? I like having sex."

Bella groaned and hung her head. Maybe she hadn't been missing out on anything after all these years of not having female friends after all.

"Bella, you're not a virgin. What's the problem?" Rosalie seemed honestly perplexed about her reticence to talk about sex.

Alice held up one finger.

"Once? You've only had sex once?" Rosalie practically shrieked.

"Thanks, Alice," Bella mumbled.

"It was probably in high school too. Wasn't it?" Rosalie demanded an answer. Even though she was busy driving the car, Bella knew that she would be forced to answer one way or another.

"Yes," she mumbled again. But then she paused. What did she have to be ashamed about? There wasn't anything wrong with being sexually inexperienced. Bella sat up straighter and sad her answer louder this time. "Yes, and so what? I don't see what the big deal is anyway." And she didn't. The experience hadn't been fun and she hadn't enjoyed it as much as that dumb Mike Newton had.

"Wait, did he give you a screaming O?" Rosalie asked. Bella frowned and looked into Angela's face, hoping for some guidance.

"A what?"

Alice gasped. "No wonder…this explains so much. An orgasm, Bella. Did he make you come?"

Orgasm? Come? "I thought only boys could do that…" Bella whispered. They hadn't covered this topic in 9th grade health class.

Silence filled the car. Bella swore she could hear crickets. She looked around at her friends' faces, at the wonder and shock there. Ok, so maybe she had missed something big in her sex education. Mike Newton hadn't mentioned anything about an orgasm for her after he'd finished. Bella had lain in the back seat of his mom's car, trying to will away the pain and discomfort of having a man…there…for the first time. He'd been heavy and sweaty lying on top of her, panting like he'd just run a marathon. She'd barely been out of breath. It had felt good for a while, when they'd been kissing and when he'd caressed her breasts, but then things had moved rather quickly. Before she knew it, her naked ass had been pressed into the vinyl of the seat, and Mike had been fumbling with a condom. She hadn't been forced, no she'd welcomed the loss of her virginity at the time, but it had all gone rather quickly. She'd been left at the end wondering what all the fuss was about.

"Why do you think women have sex?" Rosalie finally asked.

Bella actually didn't know the answer to that. Maybe to have babies? She shrugged in response.

"Orgasms. We like to have orgasms, Bella. And any man worth his salt will make sure that you get yours too."

Bella was so far out of her element here. She wanted to crawl into the trunk and hide. Maybe she could open the car door and hop out. She eyed the passing trees and road signs, trying to calculate how fast the car was moving and how much damage she would cause to her person. But then she thought about Edward and their date, and she didn't want to do anything that would postpone that. And then she thought about Edward and sex, and she really turned red. He hadn't even kissed her yet, and Alice was right. Her panties were wet just at the thought of him.

It wasn't like she hadn't thought about having sex with Edward. She had thought that if things progressed, they would eventually get to that stage and she would grin and bear it, for him. She liked him and if he could kiss as well as he played his piano, then she'd be all set.

But with these revelations, she was going to have to rethink the idea of sex with Edward. She wasn't sure what an orgasm would be like for her, but if it made her feel as good as the preliminaries to her fist experience had been, then she was all for giving it a try.

Alice cleared her throat. "Have you ever had an orgasm?"

Bella frowned. She'd just told her that Mike hadn't…and then it hit her. Oh – Alice wanted to know if she'd had a self-induced orgasm. Would this conversation never end?

"No." Bella said loudly. There was no use pretending. She was naive and inexperienced and she couldn't hide it.

More silence filled the car. Bella was glad to see the sign for their exit coming up. She couldn't wait to go home and be alone for a while. She'd had enough girl bonding for the day.

No one said another word. Rosalie dropped them off at school, and Bella thanked all her friends quickly and hopped into the silence of her own car. She had never been so happy to be alone in her life.

* * *

Bella talked to both Edward and her dad on the phone that night. Edward called to confirm their plans for Friday, and her dad called to tell her that he missed her.

Bella missed her dad too. She needed to decide when she was going home for a visit. She usually spent Thanksgiving with her mom, but maybe she could switch it out this year. There were still a few weeks before she needed to make a decision.

She woke up early Friday morning and headed to the gym. Jessica was there, waiting as always, and they hopped on the treadmills together. Bella was amazed at the amount of energy she had know that she was exercising frequently. She wasn't nearly as constantly tired as she had been before. She actually looked forward to these early morning sessions now.

She and Jessica talked about the usual: their jobs, the men Jess was dating (including that Marcus guy from the bank who had totally fallen for her sweet and innocent look), and finally Bella's date with Edward. Jess even complimented her on her haircut, which made Bella feel good. She hoped that someone else's reaction would be just as favorable.

Bella was writing homework assignments on the board when she heard a cough coming from practically right behind her. She turned her head and found Edward standing just a few feet away. She smiled brightly and turned around completely.

"Hey," she said, which was completely inadequate. What she really wanted to say was, "I am so beyond ecstatically happy to see you."

Edward smiled back and they stood there dumbly, just staring at one another for a few moments.

Edward was the first to break eye contact and his gaze raked her from head to toe. "You got your hair cut."

Bella patted her hair nervously. "I did. Does it look alright?"

Edward scrunched his face in concentration. "I'm not sure. I think I'm going to need to see it from every angle before I decide. Spin around."

Bella smiled in response to the look on his face. He looked like he was sizing her up for… something. She obliged his request and turned around, slowly, for his benefit. She knew he wasn't just checking out her hair. She held back the urge to giggle in response.

"It looks…fantastic." His eyes simmered and Bella felt her knees go weak.

"Thanks," she whispered. She needed to sit down before she passed out from whatever he was doing to her.

Edward took a step closer and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I have to go now. I'll see you at lunch." The words were innocuous enough, but Bella sucked in a breath and fought back the need to grab him and pull him close. The feel of his breath on her ear, his scent, his mere presence had thrown her into overdrive again. She finally nodded in response, not trusting her voice to say anything other than "Gahhhhhh." Edward chuckled in her ear and left her standing there, pressed up against the board for support.

Lunch went much went the same way. Edward snuck up behind her, and Bella nearly dumped her tray over Lucy St. James' head. Bella only picked at her food. She couldn't concentrate on anything other than Edward's voice, his face, and the warmth of the thigh that was pressed against hers. She was going to spontaneously combust. Alice would be forced to identify her body, or what was left of it, and explain to Charlie why she had exploded from the mere proximity of Edward Cullen.

Fortunately, Edward had to leave lunch early again, and Bella had a few moments alone to regain her composure. She needed to get herself together before their date or she would be completely useless. She wouldn't be able to talk to him. She wouldn't be able to look at him. At this rate, she wouldn't survive the hour-long car trip.

Her afternoon classes took their final _Ethan Frome_ test. Bella used the free time to text Alice about outfit choices for that night. She had promised to help her pick out something to wear, but Bella was still clueless. Alice finally responded with a terse "Chill" and nothing else. Bella sighed and slammed her phone down on her desk. Her class looked up from their tests at the interruption and Bella mouthed an apology. Bella needed to remember that she was there to teach, not to run her social life. She didn't know whether to hope that their date was a bomb so Edward would stop being such a distraction or hope that it went well so there would be more dates.

By the end of the day, she was a nervous wreck. She hadn't been nervous for any of her dates the week before, but she also hadn't been going out with Edward. She waited in her classroom for Alice to show up, as she'd been instructed by the note that had been hand-delivered by one of the office aides. Bella tried to picture the clothes that were in her closet at home, but she didn't want to wear any of those. Edward had seen everything she owned and she wanted to wear something special for their date.

Alice arrived 15 minutes later and Bella finally released the breath she'd been holding.

Alice took one look at her and sighed. "You're a mess. You need to go home and take a bath and relax."

"Clothes?" Bella asked just the one word. It was all she cared about at that moment.

Alice patted the garment bags she'd brought with her. "I was going to have you choose something here, but you're in no shape to make a decision now. Come on – I'll follow you home and help you get ready."

God bless Alice. "Thank you," Bella said, hopping up from her chair and exiting the room.

Back at her apartment, Bella sank into a warm, bubbly bath. She hadn't taken a bath in years. Alice was right – it was relaxing. She closed her eyes and shut out all thoughts from her mind, just concentrating on the warmth of the water and the feel of the soap on her skin. She stayed there until the water cooled and Alice called her name from her bedroom.

Bella put on her bathrobe and walked out to examine her clothing choices for the evening. Alice was always such a lifesaver. Not only had she picked out clothes, she'd brought her choices. Of course, all the choices were dresses, and Bella wondered if that was the best way to go.

"Are you sure it's not too dressy?" she asked once she'd made her decision.

"Absolutely not. A dress is the best way to go for the first date. This dress is fairly casual and plus, it has long sleeves so you won't be too cold."

Alice hung all the other dresses in her closet and Bella protested. "I can't accept all of those from you." Bella had already checked the tag on the dress she was going to wear. It had actually come from Target and was a reasonable price. She couldn't afford to buy $100 dresses every time she needed to go out.

"They're not a gift. You can pay me back when you're ready. I thought we should be prepared for other events that may come along though."

Bella nodded and thanked her quietly.

"So, I'm going to head out now. I trust that you can dress yourself and take care of hair and makeup." Bella nodded her head again, getting nervous now that Alice was going to leave her alone.

Alice took her hand and gave it a squeeze at her obvious discomfort. "Hey, remember, it's just Edward. Nothing to be nervous about." She leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "Give me a call tomorrow."

Bella walked her to the door and went to get ready for her big date.

At exactly 6:00, Bella's doorbell rang. She was almost completely ready, so she walked to the door to let Edward in. This was the first time he'd been to her apartment, and she was anxious to see his reaction.

Edward smiled and said hello when she opened the door, and Bella stepped back to let him in.

"I just need to grab my bag and my shoes, and then we can go." She told him as he first perused her apartment, and then her. The look he gave her lasted much longer than the one he'd given the apartment.

"You look really nice," he told her as he stepped closer to where she was frozen in the hallway. They hadn't even made it into her living room yet, and she was in full-on sparky, knees weak, panting mode.

"Thanks," Bella said, licking her lips nervously. "So do you." He did – he wore a dark blue button down underneath a tweedy looking jacket. His pants were black and his shoes looked expensive.

It was her tongue that distracted him, she decided moments later when he continued to stare at her mouth. Her breaths became shallow and her eyes wide when he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against his body.

"I was going to wait until later to do this, but I can't wait any longer," he told her right before his lips crashed down onto hers. Bella felt all the passion and lust that had been building between them for days scorch through his lips. His hands pressed against her back, pulling her closer, and Bella wrapped her arms around his neck. His lips moved forcefully against hers, in hot searing kisses, and Bella could only hold on and ride it out. When she felt his tongue lick against her mouth, she gasped in surprise at the feel of it. Edward darted inside for a taste, and Bella parried with him for a few moments. She let him take over and spent several minutes submitting to his control. They broke apart moments later, both of them panting this time.

"Wow," Bella whispered, pressing a finger against her swollen lips.

Edward pressed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. When his breathing finally calmed he took his hands and gently pressed her body away from his. "I knew it would be like that," he told her almost reverently. Bella could only smile and nod in response.

"We should get going. Your bag and shoes?" Edward asked, when Bella continued to sway in the middle of the hallway.

"Oh! I'll be right back." Bella scurried down her hallway to her room. She glanced quickly in the mirror and smiled at her reflection. Just as she thought – she looked like she'd just been thoroughly kissed. She smiled, grabbed her things, and hurried back to Edward.

* * *

Edward hadn't meant to kiss her first thing, but when he'd seen her standing there, in her little gray dress, her cute little feet sticking out and her neck all exposed, he'd lost whatever control he might have had. He'd needed to feel her skin and her breath and her body close to his. Edward flexed his fingers at the thought of what else of hers he would like to feel. He was not going to mess this up. Bella was special. She wasn't like the other girls he'd dated. Edward knew how to treat a woman right, and he was going to prove it with Bella.

She came bounding back from what he presumed to be her bedroom, and this time her feet were covered and she had a coat slung over her arm. He helped her into her coat, and she smiled at him over her shoulder. Edward fought down his threatening erection. His hard-on would not be seeing any action tonight, unless he decided to jack-off after he got home. Girls like Bella did not fuck on the first date.

But, Christ, did she know how to kiss. Her mouth was wide, her lips were full, and she'd left him panting after one taste. Edward had never had such a strong reaction to a woman before.

After she locked her door, Edward grabbed her hand and helped her down the steps. Her small fingers intertwined with his, and he gave her hand a squeeze. She felt so right there, next to him, touching him.

He helped her into his Volvo, and jogged around to the driver's side. Edward loved his car. Almost as much as he loved his piano. He lovingly patted the dashboard after he started the engine, and then smiled at Bella.

"All set?" He wanted to make sure she had whatever stuff she needed. Girls always seemed to need a bunch of stuff when they left the house, like they were preparing for some natural disaster to occur while they were out. He was never surprised any more by the amount of shit they carried around with them.

"Yes," she replied and Edward eased his car out of the parking space. They were quiet for a few moments while Edward maneuvered the Friday night traffic.

"You car is very clean," Bella told him. Edward wrinkled his brow and looked at her in confusion. She noticed his questioning glance and expanded her statement. "I mean, I was expecting something a little more like the music room at school. I noticed that you let the students have free reign so I kind of expected your car to look the same way."

She obviously didn't know about his love affair with his car, or she never would have uttered such blasphemies. Edward washed and detailed his car once a week, every week, even during the winter when he was freezing his nuts off in the cold spray of the carwash. His baby never, ever got dirty. It was just one of his things.

"Bella, there are just a few things on this planet that I cherish. My piano is one of them, and this car is another. I don't even eat or drink in her."

"Her?" Bella asked with a smile.

"Sure, all guys have female cars. Most of us name them. My college roommate called his 'Lola.'"

"Does your car have a name?" She asked slyly.

Edward pondered the wiseness of sharing his car's name with her. Only his brother knew that he had named the car. Then Edward remembered that he was trying to treat her differently, and decided that he could trust her with this.

"Gemma," he replied, sneaking a glance at Bella out of the corner of his eye.

He regretted it a moment later when she laughed out loud.

"Is that even a name?" she asked.

"Yes, it is. I like it. It suits her." Edward rubbed the dashboard again, sending her telepathic signals to ignore the giggling female in his front seat.

"Gemma," Bella said, speaking it more slowly this time, and without the accompanying giggles. She rubbed the dashboard just as Edward had moments earlier. "Ok."

Edward laughed at her acceptance of the name. Bella was so easy to get along with sometimes. It was one of the things he liked best about her. He didn't feel like he had to impress her every moment with witty conversation, or by flashing his money around. She was more normal and down to earth than any other girl he'd ever dated. He felt comfortable and at ease in her presence, excluding the times that her body was pressed against his own of course. Those were moments he wanted to repeat, and frequently, even though they made him feel on edge and anything but relaxed.

The conversed quietly for the rest of the car ride, and Edward turned the radio on to his favorite station so it played quietly in the background. He started to get nervous the closer they got to the restaurant he'd chosen. He didn't know what kind of food she liked, and he'd picked something outside the average American cuisine. He wasn't afraid to admit that he did want to impress in her some areas. This was one of them.

The outside of the restaurant was fairly unassuming, until you glanced at the sign that stood high above the roof. The sign itself took the shape of an ancient middle-eastern temple, with the name of the restaurant emblazoned in bright red through the center.

Bella looked at the sign and cocked an eyebrow. "Marrakech?" she asked.

Edward parked the car and jogged around to help her out. They were running late and he hoped they hadn't lost their reservation.

"Yeah, its Moroccan food. I hope you like it – it's actually a place my family likes to come to a lot." More importantly, Edward had never brought a date here before. He didn't want to taint Bella with the ghosts of his dating past.

"Well, I've never tried Moroccan before, but I'm willing to give it a try." She smiled at him as they crossed the parking lot, hand in hand.

Sure enough, Edward could hear the music that signaled the beginning of the first performance as soon as they entered. The hostess frowned at him after he gave her his name, but escorted them through a dark, heavy curtain anyway.

The room was large and dark. Edward knew the setup from memory, and held onto Bella's hand as they made their way down the aisle that separated the groups of tables. He could just make out the heads of the other customers as they were led to their own table.

Bella, apparently, was having a much harder time seeing in the dark.

"Ow!" she said loudly.

Edward stopped their forward movement and turned back. "Are you ok?"

"I banged my leg against something."

"That's the table," he told her.

"Why is it so low?"

Edward held her hand and pulled her down onto the cushions that rested on the floor that served as their seating.

"Oh," she finally said when she realized that they had reached their destination. She spent several minutes straightening her dress and taking off her coat.

Edward was worried that she didn't like the restaurant. "Is this ok? We can go somewhere else…" It had seemed like a good idea at the time.

"No, Edward, this is great. Why is it so dark in here though?"

Edward leaned into explain, but just then the music was turned up full blast and a spotlight shone down upon a figure standing in the center of the room.

It was a man, and Edward groaned. It figured he would pick the night when the male belly dancer was performing.

He looked at Bella, and she was staring quizzically at the dancer. Edward decided to watch Bella as she watched the dancer. Her lips pulled up into a smile, and she swayed her shoulders around in time with the music. She finally pulled her eyes off the gigolo, and looked at Edward.

"This is different," she told him after she leaned in to be heard over the music. "I thought only girls did belly dancing."

Edward leaned in close to her ear, closer than he needed to, but he liked the way her curls tickled the tip of his nose. "They bring this guy in once a month for the 'ladies.' The female dancer will come out later." He breathed in the scent of her hair before he pulled back and settled back against the cushion at his back. He snaked his arm over the back of the cushion, resting it above where Bella's back was situated. He continued to watch her instead of the performance. He'd seen it dozens of times. Bella was highly more interesting.

Their server showed up with their first course and the bottle of wine Edward had requested earlier. He usually drank beer, but figured this would be more to Bella's liking.

Bella stared at her bowl, leaned towards Edward and said, "I don't have any silverware."

Edward smiled in response, tore off a piece of the bread they'd been given, and handed it to her. "Use this. We eat with our hands here."

"Oh," she mouthed, and watched Edward as he ate his bowl of chunky-looking soup. She followed his example and was soon scraping the bottom of her dish.

"Good?" he asked, taking advantage of another opportunity to sniff her hair. He thought about skimming his nose along her neck, but resisted the urge. There would be time enough later for that.

She nodded and they spent the rest of the meal in the same way. A dish would arrive, Bella would wait for him to try it first, and then she would copy his actions. Edward would lean in to whisper something into her ear, and breathe in her very essence. He was completely intoxicated off her scent.

She seemed to enjoy everything they'd been served. He wondered later if she realized that she'd eaten a combination of chicken, lamb, and rabbit over the course of the evening. He didn't want to spoil the mood by revealing that truth if she was happily oblivious to it.

The only hiccup had come when the female dancer had come out for her own performance. She had danced her solo in the middle of the room, and then moved around the restaurant, clanging her finger cymbals along the way, looking for tips from the men, or women, that wanted to dance with her.

Edward cringed back into his cushion after he'd inadvertently made eye contact with her. She seemed to have taken it as an invitation, and made her way swiftly towards their table. Bella had stared wide-eyed at the woman as she'd tried to coax him away from the table and into the aisle for a dance. Edward repeatedly shook his head no, and only got her to leave after he'd handed her $20. She'd wanted him to place it in the belt around her waist, but Edward wasn't going anywhere near a half-naked woman with Bella at his side, unless that woman was Bella.

When they exited the restaurant two hours later, Bella was still laughing about his reaction to the dancer.

"You looked so funny…like you were going to have an attack or something. I've never seen anyone throw money at a woman before."

"She was persistent and wouldn't leave me alone. What else was I going to do?"

"Dance with her?" Bella asked quietly.

Edward swung her around by the hand that was clasped to his own and pulled her tight against his chest.

"The only woman I'm interested in dancing with is you," he told her. He leaned down and planted a solid kiss on her lips, before quickly releasing her. Edward would have preferred to spend a few more minutes kissing her in the middle of the parking lot, but they had somewhere to be in 15 minutes.

He hoped she enjoyed the second part of the date as much as she'd enjoyed the first.

Despite his previous intentions, the drive to the observatory was a tense affair. The interior of Edward's car was heady with the scent of promises yet unfulfilled. Edward wanted to pull the car over to the shoulder and take Bella in his arms. He wanted to spend hours learning the taste of her mouth. The feel of her porcelain skin under his fingertips. The sound of her labored breathing.

Instead, Edward wrapped his hands around the steering wheel in an iron grip. He would do all those things later, when they weren't separated by an uncomfortable gear shift and confined to the small space of his front seat.

Edward had plans, but it wasn't time to set them in motion yet.

He snuck another peek at Bella and found that she was in the same position she'd taken when they'd settled in the car at the restaurant. Her head was turned mostly towards her own window, her legs were crossed, and she was fingering the ends of her hair that now only brushed the top of her shoulders.

Edward missed her long hair. He'd entertained more than one fantasy of being wrapped in her long locks. He'd looked forward to running his fingers through it and burying his nose deep into her curls. He could still do both those things, there was just a lot less of it to have fun with now.

The one advantage was that Bella's neck was gloriously exposed. Her neck was long and pale, like a swan. Edward wanted to kiss the length of it, ten times over, as slowly as possible. He took the chance now to peek at her again out of the corner of his eye. Thankfully, there weren't any signs of any hickeys tonight. He'd been positive she'd been hiding one all week with her high-collared shirts and scarves. Tonight, her neck was on display like a nightclub singer making her first big performance. Beautiful, slightly mysterious, and sexy as hell.

Edward cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. If he wasn't careful, he'd be sporting another boner soon. He was suddenly nervous, unsure of what to say. He needed to talk to her though to get his mind off other more interesting activities that he would prefer to do.

"Tell me about your parents," he finally said. That topic seemed safe enough. He knew a little bit already, and she could probably fill in the blanks without turning his libido up any further.

Bella continued to stare out the window and Edward thought she wouldn't answer for a moment. But, she sighed and turned to face out the windshield.

"You already know about my dad. My mom took off when I was a baby, and left me behind for my dad to raise by himself. We didn't hear from her at all for the first three years. She finally called on my 4th birthday – she wanted to talk to me. I didn't know who she was. I had no memories of her. Charlie told me later that he was so angry with her for coming back into my life – his too I think. Charlie finally let her come visit me six months later. When I first saw her, I thought she was a princess – they'd read us _Rapunzel_ in preschool and I thought she looked just like her with her long blonde hair."

Bella smiled at the memory and finally turned to face Edward. "My mom has always been good to me. I spent a couple weeks every summer with her and every Thanksgiving. She never lived in one place for too long so it was like a new adventure every time I went to visit. She's an artist, so she was always looking for some new inspiration."

Bella was quiet again, but Edward wasn't sure that she was done yet. He wouldn't have known what to say anyway. She seemed so sad now. He almost wished he hadn't brought this topic up.

"She's much more settled now. She got married a few years ago, and Phil's a good guy. The thing is, Edward, I don't think she ever meant to be a mother. She was only 18 when I was born, and Dad was young too – just out of his training class – it was all too much too soon for her."

"You sound like you're making excuses for her," Edward said. He wasn't sure that he liked Bella's mother very much, and he'd never even met the woman. He couldn't fathom the idea of abandoning your own child.

"I'm not. It just is what it is. I can't change who she is, or who I am. Would it have been better if she'd stayed? Her body would have been there, taking care of the physical needs of her family, but at the expense of our emotional and spiritual needs. Would I have been a better person, growing up knowing that my mother resented me and my father? No – I think it was better for both me and my dad to have had that clean break. I never doubted that my father loved me. I never felt like a burden. And Mom got the time she needed to grow up, and come back to me when she was ready."

They had reached the observatory's parking lot, and Edward put the car in park and cut off the engine. They sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the ticking sound of the engine as it cooled.

"Edward," Bella said, grabbing his hand and putting in between her own, as if she needed to offer him comfort, "I never felt like I missed out on anything growing up. My childhood was happy. Sometimes the bad things that happen to us actually turn out to be blessings in disguise. Don't be sad."

Edward didn't realize that he'd been frowning. She rubbed her small hands over his own, and the contact felt good.

He couldn't imagine what life would have been like for him and Emmett had their mother taken off when they were little. He did know this – his father would have been annihilated. His parents lived and breathed for each other. Edward had never seen another couple come close to their complete and utter devotion to one another.

Edward stared into Bella's eyes, breathing in her scent, feeling the warmth of her hands, and he knew that he'd never felt so close to another person before. She had just shared something deep and personal with him, and he felt the need to reciprocate. It was time to show just how much he trusted Bella Swan.

"Bella, there's something I need to tell you," he began, but was distracted by a pair of headlights that flashed into his eyes as a car pulled in and parked next to them. Edward looked at the clock, and realized that it was neither the time nor the place for that particular discussion.

He pulled his hand back and smiled at Bella. "The show's going to start any minute. Don't forget to bring your coat." Edward hopped out and ran around to the trunk to get the chairs and blanket he'd brought along.

Edward felt lighter at just the thought of sharing his past with Bella. He would know when the time was right to do it though.

They walked hand-in-hand to the observatory's upper deck, and found a quiet spot amongst the other couples and families that had shown up for the meteor shower. Edward set up their camp chairs and waited until Bella was settled before laying the blanket down across her lap.

"Sorry it's so cold. I should have told you to wear something warm." Not that he minded staring at her legs all night.

"I'm fine." Bella looked up at the sky. "I'm glad it's not cloudy tonight. I don't think this would be such a good idea otherwise."

"Probably not. They have the telescope open tonight too."

"What exactly are we watching?" Bella asked. She turned her head, looking back and forth across the night sky. They were far enough away from the city lights for the stars to shine brightly.

"It's called the Orionids. The meteors are actually caused by Earth's passage through the trail dust left behind by Halley's Comet. So, we just have to find Orion in the sky," Edward searched the sky to the south, found the constellation, and pointed to an area to the east, "there, and that's where we should see the meteors." This was something he'd done with his family several times over the years, and he was anxious to share it with Bella.

Bella followed his gaze across the sky, and squinted in concentration. "I've never actually seen meteors before."

"Really?" Edward found that hard to believe.

"Clouds. The sky is always cloudy in Forks. Though, the times we did get to see the night sky, the stars were so bright. I felt like I could touch them. They were brighter than they are here."

Edward couldn't imagine the stars being any brighter, but he'd take her word for it. Bella seemed to be having a good time so far. She'd snuggled into the blanket he'd brought and had a smile on her face. He reached over and grasped the hand that was on the armrest of her chair. She turned her smile on him in response.

"Have you ever seen the Aurora Borealis?" she asked.

"The Northern Lights? Not personally. I have some friends who live south of Chicago that have though."

"Every once in a while, if we're lucky enough to have a clear night and the conditions are just right, we get to see the lights back home. They're so beautiful."

"Do you miss being home?" Edward wondered at her use of the word. Did she still consider her hometown to be "home?"

"Sometimes. I miss my dad most of all."

"There must be something else you miss. Friends?" Boyfriends, he wanted to ask, but didn't.

She shook her head. "Didn't have many of those." She pursed her lips and looked away quickly.

"That's hard to believe." How could she not have had any good friends who would miss her after she'd left? She was friendly, considerate, thoughtful, fun – everything a good friend should be.

"Hmm," she said, before whipping her hair to the side and smiling at him.

He was stunned by the combination of her smile and flash of neck.

"I still haven't seen any meteors. Can we go look at the telescope now?"

Edward hadn't seen any meteors either, but he'd been more interested in watching Bella than the night sky.

"Sure." Edward held her hand as they walked towards the observatory's large, white dome.

A line had formed for the telescope. Edward wrapped his arm around Bella's shoulder after he saw her shivering. He was beginning to think that dragging her out into the cold October night hadn't been the brightest idea after all.

They finally reached the front of the line and they each took a turn gazing through the telescope. Edward went first, then motioned for Bella to squeeze in between him and the telescope.

He watched as she squinted her left eye closed and peered through the eyepiece with her right eye.

"Mars," she said, after a moment.

Edward was impressed with her celestial body knowledge. "Yes, it is. Have you studied the red planet before?"

"No." Bella smiled quickly before placing her eye against the eyepiece again. "It's red, so I just figured…"

Edward leaned in and down to whisper into her ear. "Do you see the white parts, at the top and bottom of the planet?" Bella nodded minutely. "Those are the polar caps."

"What about the dark spots? Near the bottom of the planet?" Bella asked. Edward could swear that she was pressing back against his body. Their position felt so intimate, like they were the only two people in the room. Edward sucked in a breath and resisted the urge to press back and let her really get to know the shape of his body.

"Um," he thought for a moment, trying to clear his head. "Syrtis Major and Meridiana Sinus," he finally whispered into her ear, blowing lightly across the tip of it in the process.

Bella visibly shivered and Edward grinned. He wasn't the only one affected by their proximity. Bella stepped away from the telescope, and Edward could only follow her out of the main viewing room like a puppy. At that moment, he would have followed her off the edge of a cliff.

They sat together quietly for the rest of the evening, finally spotting a few meteors and pointing them out to each other. Edward called it a night when it was obvious that she was going to freeze soon.

The car ride back to Bear Lake was quiet. Bella seemed lost in her own thoughts, and Edward was fighting his natural urges. The air in the car was thick with anticipation again. It settled around them like a heavy fog, and Edward felt the weight of it pressing hard against his chest.

When they made it back to Bella's apartment, it was well after 1 am. Edward thought she'd fallen asleep in the car, but she seemed awake enough when he pulled up in front of her building. Edward parked the car and turned off the engine.

Bella stared at him with wide eyes, the rest of her face hidden in shadow. She blinked once and said, "Thank you Edward. I had a great time tonight."

"Let me walk you to your door," he told her, not waiting for a reply, but opening his door and hopping out instead. She followed suit a moment later.

Edward grabbed her hand and walked her up the stairs to her door. She seemed nervous, so he rubbed his thumb across her knuckles in reassurance.

He watched her pull her keys out of her bag and turn back to smile at him.

"Thank you again, Edward." It was a clear dismissal, which was fine with him. He had no plans to spend the night. He wasn't quite finished with her yet though.

"Bella…" he whispered as he leaned in close to her body until he could feel the press of her breasts against his chest. He waited until her eyes drifted closed and then he pressed his lips against hers. This time, she was ready for him.

It was like a match had been struck. An instant burst of lustshot through his system, making him press closer until he felt her back push against her door. He had her surrounded, completely cocooned within his arms and pressed into the recess of her doorway. He groaned from the feeling of having her at his mercy.

He realized moments later that it was actually the other way around. Bella was just as consumed by the fire as he, and when she started rubbing her body against his, he almost crumpled into a pile from the feel of her curves and heat. Their lips and tongues continued their own dance, sucking and nipping, rubbing and pulling. Their harsh breaths and fractured moans filled the hallway, and Edward only pulled away when he realized that he was moments away from unbuttoning her dress to gain access to her breasts.

He pulled back from her body, slowing down their kisses until they were just sucking on each other's lips, slowly. Edward leaned his forehead against hers and exhaled loudly.

When he opened his eyes, Bella was still pressed up against her door, eyes closed, hair in complete disarray. He couldn't help the smirk that crossed his face at seeing the effect he had on her.

"Can I call you tomorrow?" he asked. He didn't have any plans for their next date yet, he only knew that there would be a next one.

"Yes, please," Bella replied. She opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Goodnight," she whispered before unlocking her door and scurrying inside.

Edward placed his hand flat against the door until he heard the deadbolt turn from inside.

"Goodnight, Bella."

**A/N: Gahhh…love Sweetward. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Drop me a review and let me know. Thanks!! **


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

Bella woke to the sound of moaning. It still echoed in the air of her bedroom after she'd opened her eyes. It was morning, the sun was peeking around the bottom edge of her curtains, but she was confused. She could have sworn that Edward had been in bed with her…

And that was when Bella realized that she'd just had her first sex dream – ever. The moaning she'd heard, moaning so loud that it had woken her from a deep sleep, was her own voice calling out in response to Edward's imagined nimble fingers and dancing tongue. It had been so real. Bella kicked her legs underneath the sheets, still feeling his hard body pressed against hers, his hands gripping her hips, and his relentless rhythm.

Bella sat up and ran her hand across her face. She could tell that her panties were wet, just from the thought of Edward Cullen, yet again. She throbbed and ached for something that hadn't even happened yet. She could only hope that it would, and soon.

Bella didn't know how she'd gotten to this point so quickly, but she was there nonetheless. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was going to have sex with Edward. She'd nearly caught fire several times last night, from the brush of his hand, the feel of his lips, oh hell, even the look in his eyes had made her weak in the knees.

But there was something deeper there too. Bella liked Edward. He'd changed so much in the past two months, from that angry and sad man she'd first met. She felt like she could trust him with anything now. She thought that he felt the same way too. Well, she was positive that he wanted to sleep with her, because she'd felt his erection pressing against her hip when he'd kissed her goodnight.

Bella snorted. That had been way more than a kiss goodnight. That had been a promise of things to come. Just remembering the size of that promise pressed against her body made her all soft and gooey again. Edward was full of surprises, and she couldn't wait to discover all of them.

But he seemed to care for her beyond the obvious physical attraction. He'd done little things to let her know: looking into her eyes when she talked, helping her put her coat on, making sure she was warm enough in the cold night air. Any loser could take her out to dinner, as she'd discovered just that past week, but being with Edward had been a completely different experience.

They had a connection. She felt it every time he came near and her internal spark came to life. The one that rested in the center of her gut. It was almost like an early warning system: it always fueled to life whenever he was near now.

She hadn't felt anything like it with Felix, Benjamin or Peter. She thought that Edward might feel it too. It was in the flare of his nostrils when she got close. In the way he touched her hair every chance he got. Even the way his voice seemed to deepen when he had something particularly sexy to say to her, like "Syrtis Major" or "Meridiana Sinus."

She'd nearly fainted from the sound of his voice last night, whispering in her ear, showing off how flipping smart he was. Intelligence – that was definitely being added to her list of qualifications. She had no idea that nerds did it for her, but Edward had proved it beyond a doubt last night. She didn't know how anyone could expect her to resist a nerdy musician. He was a powerhouse – completely unstoppable in his pursuit of her body and whatever else he wanted. Bella was ready to give it all to him.

Bella sighed and climbed out of bed to get ready for the day. She had some errands to run, a report to give to Alice, and a phone call to try not to sit around and wait for.

Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long for the phone call after all. Edward called just before lunch, asking to take her out again that night. Bella said yes, of course. They talked only briefly. Edward was rehearsing with his band for the gig that they booked just that week. They had a few weeks before the performance, but they needed as much time to jam as they could squeeze in. He promised to pick her up promptly at 5:00.

Bella hung up the phone and did a little happy dance around her apartment. Edward wouldn't tell her where they were going, but he'd told her to dress comfortably. Bella was intrigued, and a little turned on by the sense of mystery.

She talked to Alice for almost an hour, answering all her questions, and trying not to giggle when asked if he'd kissed her yet. Alice wished her luck on their second date, but secured a promise to leave her Monday night open for some girl time.

The rest of the afternoon passed slowly. Bella ran all her errands and even had time to straighten up her apartment. She picked out a pair of jeans and sweater from her closet. She thought about eating dinner, but didn't know if Edward would be feeding her or not. He hadn't mentioned it, so she decided to play it safe by making a sandwich. She took her time making the grilled cheese, and she still had an hour to pass before Edward was due to pick her up. She picked up her favorite book, but had only read a few paragraphs when the doorbell rang. A glance at the clock told her it was too early for Edward to be the one at her door.

Bella checked her peephole, but couldn't see anything out in the hallway. She cracked opened her door and was met by one green eye peering in.

Bella smiled in response and opened the door all the way to let Edward in.

"Hi! You're early!" She was happy to see him, but curious as to why he'd shown up so early for their date.

He entered her apartment, but kept his hands behind his back as if he was hiding something.

"What do you have?"

Edward smiled and whipped his hand around, exposing a small, potted plant.

"Is this for me?" Bella asked, more curious now than ever.

"Yes." Edward smiled and followed her into the living room. "I noticed last night that you've got this great set of French doors, but no plants. So, I thought I'd bring you something green and alive to make use of the light you get."

"Edward, thank you! No one's ever given me a plant before." It was so much more original that flowers. She could keep this forever and always have a reminder of him.

"Only, I'm not that great at keeping plants alive. I tried to grown an herb garden in our kitchen back home, but they always seemed to shrivel and die." It had been embarrassing every time she'd been forced to throw some rosemary or thyme away. Jacob had found it hilarious.

"No problem. This type of plant is practically kill-proof. It's called a Christmas cactus. It should bloom for you in about a month or so."

Bella eyed the plant's weepy green tentacles and tried to picture it with flowers. "Blooms? Really?"

"Yep – that's what the woman at the garden center told me anyway."

Bella placed the cactus in a spot to the right of the doors, where it would get a good deal of light during the day.

"Edward, this is so sweet of you. Thank you." She walked over and wrapped her arms around his body to hug him.

Edward had other plans.

He cleared his throat and ran his hands down her sides until they rested on her hips. "Can I have a proper thank you now?" The glint in his eye only made him look even wickeder than he sounded.

Bella slid her hands up to his neck and fingered the hair that touched the top of his collar. She leaned in and planted her lips solidly against his. They spent several minutes reacquainting their mouths and tongues before Edward pulled away.

"I hope you don't mind that I'm early. I was anxious to see you. I probably should have called..."

Bella licked her lips and smiled. "I don't mind at all." She'd been bored just sitting around waiting for him to show. Now that he was there, everything had shifted back into focus again.

"So, where are we going tonight?" Bella asked as she grabbed her purse and coat.

"How do you feel about haunted houses?" Edward asked.

Bella frowned in confusion. "Like a real haunted house – with ghosts and things that go bump in the night?"

Edward laughed and pulled her close. "No, but that makes me laugh. Remind me to tell you a story about my parents' house some time."

Bella cringed. That didn't sound good. "Um…ok. So, where are we going then if not to a "real" haunted house?" She suddenly had a bad feeling about their destination.

"There's this place out on Route 14 called the 'Dungeon of Doom.' I heard some of my 8th period students talking about it on Thursday. I thought with Halloween just next week, this would be a good time to go."

Bella considered her options. Halloween in Forks hadn't gone much beyond the usual trick-or-treating for the kids or kegger at a friend's house if you were in high school. Her only other experience with scary things had been the scary movies Jacob had forced her to sit though. She was pretty sure she'd seen every one that had ever been made. Sometimes they gave her bad dreams. Some of them had just been cheesy and funny, and those hadn't been so bad. Bella didn't think that the "Dungeon of Doom" would be cheesy or funny.

"I guess we could try it. I've never been to one of these types of places before though. Um…I'm a little nervous."

Edward grinned wolfishly at her and squeezed her even tighter.

"I'll just have to keep you as close as possible then. So you don't get scared or anything."

He suddenly lifted his hand and skimmed it across her cheek. Bella was momentarily stunned by the feel of his hand on her face. The trail left behind by his fingers felt like tiny, happy fireworks exploding across her face.

Bella finally squeaked out an "ok" and followed Edward blindly to his car.

They rode out of town in the opposite direction from every other trip that Bella had taken since her move. They lived pretty far out of Chicago, and most of the shopping centers, restaurants, and general points of interest were closer to downtown than the outlying areas. It was dark on the road that they took, without any streetlamps to help illuminate the road any more than what the car's head beams showed, but Bella could make out small details of their surroundings on the way.

They were definitely headed towards a more rural part of the state. The homes became spaced further and further apart. They passed few, if any, retail areas. Majestic-looking trees that probably shone with brilliant fall foliage during the daylight hung over the edges of the roadway.

The trip was quiet and dark, but neither seemed to bother her or Edward. Bella liked the comfortable silence that settled around them. Edward looked like he was either lost in his own thoughts or concentrating very hard on his driving, but neither made her feel like she was being ignored or shunned. It was peaceful being able to just sit with him and soak in his scent and very essence, like a sponge.

Up in the distance, the darkened landscape was interrupted by a series of car lights that seemed to snake along with the curve of the road.

"What is that?" Bella asked, pointing towards the lights in the distance.

Edward cast his eyes at her briefly. "I believe that is our destination."

"Really? Seems to be a bit of a line then." Bella had never seen so many cars lined up before. The line must have been a mile long, and when Edward turned off the highway and onto the side road, they joined the end of the line. The cars slowly but steadily creeped along until they finally pulled into a large field that had been cleared and was being used as a parking lot. Men and women wearing bright orange vests directed them to a parking spot and Edward turned off the car.

"I feel like we've been on an adventure already," Bella said with a laugh.

Edward reached a hand behind his head, and scratched his neck nervously. "I didn't realize this would be so popular. We don't have to stay. We could go do something else if you want."

By that point, Bella had spotted a Ferris wheel and other carnival rides in the distance. She'd always wanted to ride a Ferris wheel, and it looked like now was going to be her chance. No way was she going to let Edward talk them out of doing this now.

"No, this is great. Come on – we should get a move on if we don't want to wait in a long line."

Bella bundled up in her scarf, hat and gloves and then walked with Edward towards what appeared to be the front entrance. Mobs of people were funneling towards the same spot.

Edward paid their entrance fee and they followed a group of teenagers past some food and refreshment stands and into the main, open area where the carnival rides were set up.

"What do you want to do first?" Edward asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her close and out of the way of the teens that were doing chest bumps just feet away.

"Dungeon of Doom?" That way it would be out of the way and Bella wouldn't spend the time leading up to it anticipating just how scary it could be.

Edward held her hand as they made their way to the line that led to the main building on the property. It actually appeared to be a barn-like structure. It wasn't large, red and made out of wood like Bella expected a barn to look like; instead it had siding the color of a doctor's waiting room, that beigey shade that's supposed to make everyone feel calm.

The beige was not having its intended affect on Bella. The closer they got to the structure, the louder the screams became, thus completely overshadowing the color and any calm it may have influenced. Some of the screams seemed to be coming from loudspeakers placed at the corners of the building, most likely in an attempt to increase the scare factor. Mission accomplished as far as Bella was concerned.

The louder, more frightening screams, were coming from inside the building itself. As if the gates of hell themselves had opened and unleashed a slew of unspeakable terrors.

Bella glanced at Edward, who seemed to be having his own last-minute reservations. He caught her staring at him, so he squeezed her hand and said, "Let's go."

The wait in line ended up being longer than the walk through the "Dungeon of Doom." Bella was almost thankful for the warmth of the barn by the time they made it inside.

It was all over ten minutes later. Bella had somehow lost Edward about half-way through, so when she exited she immediately spun around, looking for his bronze locks above everyone's heads. She couldn't find him, so she figured he must have gotten caught up in the "whip room." They had some particularly friendly ghouls prowling around in that room that detained several of the people walking through. Bella had just barely escaped before the door had closed shut behind her.

She snorted at the overall cheesiness of the "Dungeon of Doom." The Dungeon was separated into several different rooms, each with a different theme. Sometimes characters popped out of the wall at you; sometimes they came screaming at you with a chainsaw or knife. The blood had been almost orange in color, and the lighting was neither creepy nor illuminating. Bella thought that the drama department at Forks High, all ten of them, could have done a better job. She couldn't figure out how this outlet was drawing such a big crowd.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a stream of people that had just come rushing out of the Barn of Boring. The screaming horde was led by none other than her date for the evening. Edward looked terrified. Bella bit back her laugh at his obvious dismay. His eyes scanned the crowd and finally locked on hers. Bella waved and fought back the urge to call him names and offer him a diaper.

Edward came rushing over. "Are you ok? I had no idea that it would be so…real."

Bella didn't want to bruise his ego by admitting that it had been the fakest looking thing since she'd discovered The Girls Next Door.

She just nodded her head and grabbed his hand. "Come on. I want some cotton candy."

Bella bought cotton candy for the two of them to share, and they took turns feeding pieces of it to one another while they walked between the game booths and food vendors.

Bella was so lost in the way that Edward's mouth closed around the pieces of fluff that she gave him, that she almost missed the group of giggling girls that had stopped right in front of them.

"Hi Mr. Cullen!" They yelled at full volume. Edward must not have seen them either, because his eyes got wide and panicky.

Bella recognized two of the girls from her own English class. Neither of them paid her any attention though. All eyes were glued onto Edward.

"Uh, hello. Are you girls enjoying the 'Dungeon of Doom' this evening?"

Bella thought that it was a little awkward to come across your students in a social situation. They usually did one of two things: pretend like they didn't know you and run away, or enthusiastically greet you like a long lost friend.

These girls were definitely part of the latter. Edward seemed to be handling them well enough. He continued to answer their questions politely while they laughed and twirled their hair. They finally ran off, as a group, moments later.

Edward sighed in relief and guided her towards the Ferris wheel.

"You do know that all those girls have a crush on you, right?" Bella had to lay it out there for him because he seemed oblivious.

"Nah, they're just excited to see a teacher at a place like this. It makes us more relatable."

Right.

"Funny that they completely ignored me then."

Edward shrugged and distracted her by helping her board the Ferris wheel. The giggling horde was forgotten moments later when the operator pressed the lever that rotated them backwards.

"This is my first time," she told Edward, batting her eyelashes.

Edward leered at her. "I hope it doesn't disappoint then."

Bella bit the inside of her cheek. "I'm sure it won't."

Edward wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her tight against his side. His fingers ran through her curls. Bella sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. Date number two had been a rounding success so far.

Edward's hand moved down to her neck, where her scarf was protecting her against the chill of the night. He fingered the material for a moment.

"Did you make this?" he asked.

"No, my Cici did."

"Cici? Is that your grandmother?"

Bella realized her mistake immediately. "No, both my grandmothers are dead. Cici is actually the grandmother of one of our friends from La Push." Jacob's to be exact, but she wasn't going to discuss Jacob with him. "She was the closest thing I ever had to a grandmother."

Edward seemed appeased with her answer. He rubbed her shoulder for a moment, and they sat and rocked in the car as it spun around. The view from the apex showed them just how large the crowd had grown over the past several hours. The parking lot was full; they'd started parking cars in an overflow lot across the road that didn't look nearly as cleared off and mud-free as the main lot was.

When the ride was over, they decided to head back to Bear Lake. The car ride home was just as quiet, but a different tension filled the air this time. Bella was fidgety, constantly moving her legs and shifting her body.

Edward was no better: she watched his fingers flex and release the steering wheel several times.

Edward pulled up to her apartment, just as he had the evening before. He turned off the car and offered to walk her to her door.

Bella had the key in the lock when she felt his breath against her neck. His left hand was pressed against the doorjamb. Bella tingled from head to toe.

"You know, you talk a lot about the reservation. La Push is it?" he whispered into her ear.

Bella shook her head to clear her mind. His words made sense, but she couldn't figure out why he was bringing this up now.

She felt his breath against her ear and his nose seemingly circling the outer edge of it.

"I was just curious if you had a matching hat to your scarf." Edward buried his nose into her hair then, and it made her a little ticklish. "Or a blanket." Edward licked the curve of her ear then, and the ticklish feeling was replaced with a shot of pure pleasure.

"Huh," Bella uttered. It was the most intelligible thing she could come up with at that moment. He scrambled her brain with just his breath against her body.

"Do you have anything, like that, that you want to show me, Isabella?"

At the sound of her full name on his lips, Bella spun around and grabbed his collar. She stared deep into his eyes for just a moment, and then slammed her lips onto his. She couldn't handle any more freaking sexy talk. And when he called her "Isabella?" Forget about it – she was done for.

She ground her mouth onto his and forced her tongue inside. It was her turn to learn the terrain of a foreign land.

He tasted like the cotton candy they'd shared and something deep and dark as well that was all Edward. Bella reached behind and twisted open the doorknob, dragging him in with her before shutting and locking the door.

She managed to keep her lips glued to his the entire time, and she felt a rush of satisfaction. She pushed him back and around the corner until they were standing next to the sofa.

What she did next surprised even her.

She pushed him down hard onto the couch and straddled his lap, placing her knees on either side of his hips.

She couldn't help that he turned her into a sex-starved nymphomaniac.

She assaulted his mouth and plunged her hands into his hair. Holy Christ, his hair was soft. She peppered the length of his chin with kisses and made her way to his ear, where she grabbed hold of the lobe between her teeth. Edward's hands, which had been busy rubbing up and down her sides suddenly clenched and he moaned, loudly.

"Bella, what are you doing to me?"

She could have asked him the same question. She felt an urgency to learn the taste of every inch of his skin. She wanted to get as close to him as possible and rub up against him like a cat.

Her mouth moved down the column of his neck, and she kissed and sucked until she found the one spot that really seemed to do it for him.

His hands had snuck around to her abdomen and were pressing up towards her breasts when she found his Achilles heel, or neck as it were.

"Bella, baby," he said hoarsely, and then he pressed his own mouth against her neck in hot open-mouthed kisses.

Bella groaned in response and pressed closer to his body, needing to feel the friction. She could feel his erection pressing almost precisely against her core, but it wasn't enough. Suddenly, nothing was quite enough.

In a moment of insanity, Bella pulled back from Edward and stared into his eyes. She saw her own want and lust reflected there. She crisscrossed her arms and pulled her sweater over head, and tossed it to the floor. Edward's eyes went wide when her lacy pink bra was exposed. His mouth moved up and down like a fish, but no sounds came out. Bella reached back and unclasped her bra, tossing it to the floor to join the sweater.

She felt no qualms at having Edward stare at her naked breasts. There was no remorse, no embarrassment at having this incredibly sexy man stare at her chest in obvious desire.

She reached for him again and said, "Edward, please touch me."

Edward snapped his mouth shut and stared into her eyes. She felt his hands grasp her waist tightly, and she moaned at just that small feeling of his hands on her bare skin. He smoothed them up her stomach and over her ribs until he brushed the underside of her breasts. Bella let out a hiss. He was teasing her, and she wasn't in the mood to be teased.

She didn't mind begging though. "Please…" she told him again. She slowly lowered her eyes down and then back up. Edward's thumbs swept up, not far enough to reach her nipples, but enough to illicit another moan from Bella.

She arched her back, an obvious offer, and hissed again. "Yes," she told him this time. His thumbs swept up again, closer but not quite meeting the ultimate goal.

This time, Bella stared dead straight into his eyes. "If you won't use your hands, then maybe you could use your mouth instead…" Edward's eyes hardened and his nostrils flared. Bella felt a pool of moisture in response. Nerdy Sexy Edward was gone. In his place was Unrestrained Animalistic Edward. Bella panted at the very thought.

Edward's hands tightened on her sides, and she was immediately flipped onto her back on the sofa. Edward loomed over top of her, his gaze drinking in her half-nude form.

"Isabella," he whispered, speaking mostly to her breasts at this point though, "I'm going to do both."

Bella was still reeling from the use of her name again, so it took her a moment to decipher his meaning. She could only squeak in response and rub her hands across his biceps where he had an iron grip.

She watched his hand skim across her stomach again, but this time there was no teasing or hesitation. His hand immediately encased her breast and squeezed it lovingly. Her back arched off the sofa in response. His hand was very large, and very warm. He brought his other hand up and they squeezed and pinched at her nipples in tandem.

Bella's breath was shallow. She gazed at him under heavy-lidded eyes and reveled in the feel of his hands on her naked body. He took several minutes to learn the weight of her breasts, the feel of her nipples, and just how to move his hands to make her squirm.

She realized his intent right before his bent his head towards her chest. He licked his lips and zeroed in on her nipples. Bella tried to move her legs, but his hard body had her pressed into the sofa cushions. She needed to feel something more. The anticipation was going to kill her.

Edward lowered his head and licked her nipple, from top to bottom. His tongue seemed to be learning every groove and dimple, and he swirled it around a few times just to make sure he was completely familiar with the new territory. Bella gasped at the sensation of his warmth against her puckered nipple. The throbbing in her center was becoming unbearable, but Edward didn't seem interested in doing anything about that at the moment.

Edward replaced his tongue with his lips and sucked her inside, pulling until she could feel it in her womb. He used his other hand to play with the nipple that wasn't being sucked into his mouth, until he soon replaced his fingers with his mouth, switching sides.

Bella couldn't stand it anymore, so she grabbed hold of his hair and held him closer to her chest.

"More," she told him. "Edward, I need more."

She wasn't sure what more she needed, but trusted him to figure it out.

Edward growled and sucked even harder on her nipples, alternating back and forth.

Bella followed his arm down with her hand, sliding over bulging muscles and pouting at the realization that he still had all his clothes on. She would take care of that soon enough. For now, she had an urgent need to be addressed.

She found his left hand and pulled it away from her breast. Bella guided it down her body until it was wedged in between them and pressed against her mound.

Bella sighed in relief.

Unfortunately, Edward's response was not encouraging.

He immediately stiffened and pulled away from her, off her body entirely and to the other end of the sofa.

Bella blinked away the lust that had clouded her brain and stared at him. What had just happened?

"Edward?" she asked.

"Bella," he choked out, looking any where but at her, "I'm sorry." He ran his hand down his face and sighed. Spotting her sweater on the floor, he picked it up and tossed it to her.

Bella sat up and slid the material over her head, feeling embarrassed for the first time that evening. Had she really just thrown herself at Edward like that? No wonder he seemed so disgusted by her. Hadn't she just shown him how easy she was?

Edward stood and looked for his coat, which Bella was glad to see had actually come off at some point. At least she hadn't attacked him without letting him take his coat off first.

Bella stood with him, expecting to walk him to the door, say goodbye, and never see him outside of school again. This evening had seemed so promising just a few hours ago.

Edward must have seen the dejection on her face. He crossed the room and took her in his arms, pressing her face against his chest and rubbing her back.

"Too much, Bella," he told her now. "It was just too much." He continued to rub her back and Bella brought her arms up to hold him as tightly as he'd let her.

He used his finger to tilt her chin up so he could look into her eyes. "I don't want to screw this up. Bella, you're different. You're…important."

He was quiet then, and Bella nodded, trying to reassure him. She felt rejected, but he was obviously trying to tell her that he had a reason for it. She still wasn't sure where that left them though.

Edward leaned down and kissed her lips gently. "We're having dinner at my parents' house tomorrow. Do you want to come?"

Well, that certainly cleared matters up.

Even Bella knew that you didn't introduce your parents to someone that you didn't plan on spending a lot of time in the future with. That didn't mean that she thought it was the best idea though.

"Are you sure?" she asked, surprised at the huskiness of her voice.

"I'm positive. We eat early, so I'll pick you up at 11. Emmett, Rosalie and the baby will be there too."

Ok, so extended family members just made it more nerve-wracking. But, Bella wasn't going to be scared. She faced dozens of hormonal teens everyday. She could handle a few Cullens.

"Sounds good," she told him. The smile that spread across his face was well worth it.

"Great." He leaned down to kiss her again before heading out the door.

Bella locked it behind him, and slid down the length of it to the floor. She would have to wait a while before her legs worked again.

***

Edward woke with a raging hard on. He rolled over and groaned. He'd woken in the same condition every day for the past week. Bella was slowly killing him. And he liked it.

Last night had been incredible. Bella was so much more than he'd ever anticipated. He liked being around her. She made him feel good. Best of all, their chemistry was electrifying.

Edward rolled out of bed and headed towards the shower. The bathroom was one of his favorite parts about his townhouse. It was large, and he had a garden tub and a large shower stall. The plain white shower curtains he'd wanted so badly ended up in the guest bathroom down the hall. It was simple, clean and elegant. He didn't need anything fussy.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror and scratched the beard that had begun to grow in overnight. He tilted his face from side to side, and considered growing in his beard again. He wondered whether Bella would like it or not.

His erection twitched at the thought of Bella, and reminded him that he had some business to take care of. Again. He grabbed hold of his dick and gave a few strong preliminary strokes, then turned on the shower to wait for the water to warm up.

He thought back to the night before, and how he'd had her pinned to the couch, breasts heaving, completely naked from the waist up. She had been all creamy skin and rose-tipped peaks. He licked his lips at the memory. The water was finally warm enough so he stepped in and let the water stream down his body.

Another flash of Bella came into his mind, this time of the way she'd ripped her top off. Edward groaned and grabbed hold of his erection again, turning into the streaming water. She'd been so hot, and he'd almost taken her there on her sofa.

He hadn't been able to do it though. She would have been just like every other girl he'd ever dated. He couldn't do that to her. He couldn't lump Bella into that same category. Edward felt something for her, and that made her so much better than all the other girls. He wouldn't treat her the same way. He'd show her some respect and take things slow. Let her know that he was serious about her and she wasn't just another girl.

It had been so hard to pull away from her last night, and he could tell that he'd hurt her feelings. He'd almost turned back and climbed on top of her again. She'd been bold and uninhibited. He'd been so turned on, much like he was now. He groaned at the memory of her tits in his mouth and stroked faster. This wasn't going to take long. Sure enough, moments later, he moaned loudly and spent himself in long angry jets.

Edward leaned against the wall in support. He wished that it had been Bella to bring him off, but that fantasy was going to have to wait. A release had been necessary this morning. He couldn't sit at his mom's dining room table sporting some massive wood.

He quickly finished his shower and got dressed. He needed to pick Bella up soon, and he'd spent a ridiculous amount of time picking out something to wear. He knew that he was long gone but he didn't care. It didn't take too much effort to try to impress a girl, and the results would be well worth whatever comments Emmett may send his way. Edward ran his hands through his hair before he left, spiking it up little. He really needed a haircut.

***

Bella was ready when he arrived to pick her up. He liked that she didn't keep him waiting all the time. That shit got boring really quick.

She was wearing a skirt again, similar to the one she'd worn to the BBQ at the beginning of the year. Edward groaned inside his head. She was trying to kill him. Her legs were killer, and every time she had them hanging out like that his mind raced through a series of fantasies of where he'd like those legs to be wrapped.

Bold Bella from the night before was gone. Shy and demure Bella had taken her place. Edward smiled at the contradiction. He wondered what other personalities she was hiding inside her head. Maybe there was a biker chick hiding in there too. He'd always wanted a bike and a bitch to ride behind. The mental image of the two of them in black leather chaps, matching jackets and helmets popped into his head. Then, the scene changed and it was just Bella in the black leather – tiny bits of black leather. Edward shook those thoughts away to concentrate on the woman before him.

He really hoped she wasn't still upset about the night before. He'd known after he'd climbed off the sofa that he would have to make it up to her somehow. Then, she'd looked like she thought that he was blowing her off permanently, which he wasn't, so he'd done the next best thing to mounting and claiming her: he'd invited her to Sunday family dinner.

She'd been hesitant, which he could understand. It seemed a little early to be bringing her home to mom and dad, but it felt right to Edward. They'd already met her, and between Emmett and Rosalie, they'd be interrogating him about her anyway. This way the girl in question would be present to answer whatever questions they may have.

Edward checked the cactus he'd given her the day before when she ran back to her bedroom for something. The soil was damp. It hadn't died yet. That was good.

Bella came back with some kind of clip in her hair. She looked beautiful no matter what she did. She could have thrown a beanie on and she'd still be the most gorgeous creature ever.

Down in the parking lot, Edward unlocked the car doors, but stopped Bella before she could climb in.

He just needed a taste. One small taste to get him through Cullen Sunday Dinner.

She must have seen the intent in his eyes, because she smiled right before he leaned in to kiss her lips. This kiss was soft and slow. He had her pressed up against the Volvo, but this kiss was for pleasure, not for beginning something that they couldn't finish any time soon. Bella tasted minty, probably from her toothpaste. She ran her fingers along the collar of his shirt and played with the hair there. She'd done that once before and Edward sighed from the fantastic chills it gave him. Edward used his teeth to pull on her bottom lip, and then released it. He had to stop now before the kiss changed into something else entirely.

"Mmmm," Bella said after he pulled away. Edward chuckled. Mmmm was right.

On the drive to Highland Park, Bella told him more stories about growing up in Forks, and the friends her dad had in La Push. Edward had been serious the night before when he'd told her that she talked about those memories a lot. She did. It made him wonder why she didn't have at least a friend or two from the reservation that she'd hung out with. Maybe there hadn't been any kids her age.

Edward half expected his mom and dad to be standing in the front door waiting for their arrival. When he'd called his mom and asked her to set an extra place, he swore that he heard tears coming through the phone. He really hoped his parents didn't embarrass him today. He loved them to pieces, but they needed to stop acting like Bella was some type of act in the freak show. So what if he'd never brought a girl to dinner before? It wasn't anything to make a big deal about.

Emmett, Rosalie and the baby were already there when they arrived. Thankfully, no one was standing in the doorway when they pulled up. Edward sighed in relief and squeezed Bella's hand. She looked a little nervous, but she had nothing to worry about. His family would love her. He was the one who was about to be subjected to their torment.

There wasn't anyone waiting in the vestibule either, so Edward led them towards the formal living room. He figured his mom would be pulling out all the stops for Bella.

Esme did not disappoint. Edward was only surprised that she hadn't hired a catering staff to serve all the appetizers that she had laid out. The entire family stood when he and Bella entered, and his mom practically bowed. This was going to be bad.

"Edward, Bella! We're so glad you're here!" His mom was definitely overdoing the enthusiasm. He turned to apologize to Bella and suggest that they hit Sonic instead, but she had the strangest look on her face. It was as if she was actually happy to be there. She let go of his hand and walked into Esme's outstretched arms like they'd choreographed the maneuver. Esme patted her hair and whispered something into her ear. Bella nodded her head and they stood there, rocking back and forth, for several minutes.

Edward stared at the two of them in astonishment. What did he just miss? Bella didn't know his parents, yet they welcomed her as if she was a member of the family. Edward caught Emmett's eye, who only shrugged his own confusion. His dad stood silently behind the pair of them, and Rosalie just stood in the corner bouncing little George. She seemed unperturbed by the whole situation.

Bella finally moved out of his mom's arms and thanked her and Carlisle for inviting her.

Edward huffed. He'd been the one to invite her. He'd have to get his own thanks from her later. He had several ways in mind that she could show her gratitude.

"So, let's sit and chat. Edward, sit there." Esme pointed to a wing chair next to the sofa that Bella had just settled upon.

"How's the school year going so far, Bella?" Carlisle asked. He stood behind the chair that Esme had sat upon.

"Pretty good. We're working on grammar right now in most of my classes. The honors class is starting Romeo and Juliet next week. They keep me on my toes, but I like it that way."

"I've heard nothing but good reports about you, Bella," Emmett said. He'd obviously been reading the newspaper when they arrived; it was resting on his lap even now.

"Thanks," Bella said.

They were all quiet for a moment, and Edward watched Bella reach for the tray of vegetables his mom had set out. He was hoping that he hadn't made a mistake by bringing her today; things seemed a little awkward at the moment. George was being fussy and Rosalie kept walking him up and down the room. Emmett was engrossed in his newspaper, and his mom and dad were just staring at Bella, who was acting like her celery stalk was the most interesting vegetable she'd ever encountered.

Edward cleared his throat. "Um, we got that gig at Christine's. We're scheduled for three weeks from now."

As expected, that got everyone's attention. Congratulations were extended and Carlisle came over and patted him on the back.

"Good work, son. We're proud of you."

As usual, this show of familial pride made Edward uncomfortable. "Thanks, Dad," he told him now. "But, it's just the 7:00 set so…" Edward didn't need to finish that the later sets were more desirable.

"Nevertheless, it's a start. Your mother and I will be there."

"Us too," Rosalie called from the next room. Edward rolled his eyes. He'd have to tell Alice and Jasper as well or their feelings would be hurt. He glanced at Bella, who was looking at him expectedly.

"I'd like to come too," she told him quietly. She was the first person he'd told about the gig. He wanted her there more than anyone else.

"Great," he said, with a smile. She smiled back and returned to examining her carrot stick.

"What the fuck?" Emmett suddenly yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Emmett," Esme scolded him. "Language please."

"Sorry Mom," Emmett said, but his sole focus was on the newspaper he held in his hands.

"Emmett, what's the matter?" their father asked. Edward was curious too. Emmett didn't usually get so worked up over the Sunday paper.

"This asshole reporter has quotes from an 'unnamed source' about our upcoming board meeting. No one was supposed to talk about this. I made myself very clear this past week. Dammit!" Emmett threw the paper on the floor and stared at it like it would turn into a snake and start hissing at him.

"What kind of quotes do they have?" Carlisle bent over and picked up the paper. He had no qualms about it becoming a snake.

"I reminded the staff this week about their confidentiality clauses, and that's mentioned. He also writes about some of the security measures we're going to talk about instituting. Somebody talked to this guy. When I find out who it is…"

Emmett was clearly livid over this turn of events. Edward was feeling a little angry himself. This type of shit was supposed to have stopped by now.

Bella leaned over and placed a hand on his knee. He hadn't realized he'd been bouncing it up and down like a jackhammer until her small hand stopped the motion. He looked into her eyes and saw her question there.

She wanted to know why he was upset. Just like the other day when he'd gotten upset after the staff meeting. Shit. He was going to have to tell her at some point. Fucking Tanya.

Edward pulled his eyes away from hers and scanned the room frantically. He needed a distraction and fast. This family dinner was quickly turning into a total goatfuck.

"Hey Mom, is dinner going to be ready soon?" Food was the answer. They couldn't talk when they all had food shoved into their mouths.

Esme looked between him and Bella. A little crease appeared in between her eyes like she was putting together a puzzle. Edward rolled his eyes in response. His mom wanted to know if he'd told Bella yet. He shook his head so she would know not to say anything. She frowned a moment longer and stood up.

"Dinner should be ready in 5 minutes. Bella, dear, would you mind helping me take these trays into the kitchen?"

Bella jumped up and carried out the tray she'd been nibbling on.

Edward stared at his brother. "Any ideas?"

Emmett groaned and slumped down in his chair. "No. Maybe. I don't know. I could interrogate every employee, but that would be a waste of time. No one's going to confess. I could try calling that asshole reporter, but he would love that. It would give him something else to write about and we still wouldn't have a name. Edward, I'm sorry man."

Edward understood the unspoken apology. This opened an entirely other can of worms. Things could come out into the open that were better off being hidden away.

"Yeah, well, nothing we can do about it now." Edward could get pissed off and revert back to his asshole self, but what good would that do? It was only one article, and nothing major had been revealed about the school. Their "unnamed source" could provide all the information they wanted to about the steps they were taking to make the school safer. In the end, it would only give them good publicity.

Edward knew this, Emmett knew this, and their parents knew this.

Edward shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

Emmett stood and retrieved a now-sleeping George from his wife's arms. The kid was pretty damn cute, especially when he was quiet like this. Edward liked to watch his little mouth pucker up into a bow. It was the most amazing thing.

"Kind of makes you want your own, doesn't it?" Emmett asked.

Edward scoffed. That hadn't been the direction of his thoughts. "Maybe someday," he allowed. Someday in the far off future. He had too many things to do before he settled down with a family.

"Bella would make a good mom."

"Emmett, not now." He knew what his brother was trying to do. He should have known his family would want to interfere with his love life.

"Did you bang her yet?"

"None of your damn business, brother." Edward almost punched his brother just then. Who the hell did he think he was talking about Bella like that?

"You don't look like you've gotten laid. You seem pretty tense actually. Rose has this friend that…"

"Shut the fuck up, Emmett. I'm not interested in Rose's friend."

"Ahh…so that's how it is."

Edward was pacing the room by this point. Why was his brother torturing him? He stopped his frantic strides and stood next to the chair where his brother sat.

"That's how what is?"

"You really like her. I'm glad you're taking my advice, Edward. Respect…that's a good nurturing tool."

Edward closed his eyes and shook his head. He should have known that the jerk-off would test him.

"Yes, I respect her. And I'm working on the nurturing thing." He coughed. "I, uh, gave her a plant for her apartment."

Emmett nodded his head. "Nice."

"Yeah. Look, could you lay off? She's nervous and you're not going to make it any better by acting all Emmetty."

Emmett laughed. "I like your use of my name."

"You would."

"Don't worry about me and Bella. I'm not going to harass her like I do you. Besides, she's my employee. There's only so much I can get away with before it very quickly crosses the line."

Edward nodded his head in thanks.

Rosalie entered just then to tell them that dinner was ready.

The rest of the visit with Edward's parents passed smoothly. No more mention was made of reporters, getting laid or having kids. Bella seemed to be having a good time, and his parents seemed to like her as well. Edward was glad.

After they ate, Edward took her on a tour of the house.

"You've already seen this side of the house...remember when we were here for the BBQ?"

"Yes, that's the picture room."

Edward laughed. "Yes, that's right. Come on, there's something on the other side of the house that I want to show you."

Edward held her hand as they walked through the sun room and into one of the main reasons that his parents had bought this house.

"You have a pool. Inside the house." Bella stared at the small indoor pool with her mouth hanging open. Edward raked his eyes up and down her figure. He had a sudden vision of Bella in a bikini. A pink bikini, the color of the bra she'd shown him last night.

"Do you have a suit?" Edward suddenly had plans to make good use of his parents' indoor pool.

Bella scrunched her nose up. "No. We didn't go swimming very often in Forks. In fact, I can't remember the last time I went in the water."

Edward made a mental note to ask Alice to take her to buy a bathing suit. He wondered if she'd be offended if he made a special request for the color and cut. Probably.

"You should get one. We could go swimming, here, sometime, if you do." He had the crazy idea to whisk her off to someplace warm instead, where they could lie on the beach for hours. Then he decided that it would have to be their own private island. That way they wouldn't need suits at all.

He turned back to Bella just in time to see her finishing her own perusal of his body. He loved when she did that. It did great things for his ego that she so obviously found him attractive.

"Maybe I'll do that," she said, sucking on her bottom lip. Edward groaned. He couldn't kiss her now, the way he wanted to, with Mom, Dad and everyone else probably lurking just feet behind them. He had the sneaking suspicion that they were being followed.

He grabbed her hand and they continued the tour of the house. He showed her the music room, but only a quick peek. His piano was in there, and they'd be stuck there for hours if she asked him to play. He wanted to spend some time with her alone at some point.

He didn't bother taking her upstairs at all. Just the bedrooms were up there, and that would not be conducive to the plan to get out of the house as quickly as possible. He was afraid that if he saw her standing in his room, the one he'd grown up in, he'd push her down onto his bed and embarrass the both of them.

No, it was better to move things along as quickly as possible.

They soon said goodbye to everyone and were headed out the door.

Esme's last words, "Come back soon!" still rang in their ears as Edward drove them off the property.

"I like your family, Edward."

"I'm glad. They like you too."

"I kind of attacked your mom earlier."

Edward was afraid she was not going to say anything about that. He was glad she'd brought it up because he was curious.

"It's just, she's such a 'mom,' you know? It made me miss my mom all of a sudden. I think she knew, though. That's why she just let me hug her. She's a good mom, isn't she?"

Bella really had no idea the extent of her goodness. "Yeah, she's the best."

"Thanks again, for inviting me."

"You're welcome. It wasn't too weird, meeting my family? I know we've only been out twice…"

"Not too weird."

"Good." Edward was suddenly nervous. "Um, so this thing that we have. Uh…I don't usually date more than one person at a time. And, I would like to keep seeing you. So, I was wondering what your thoughts are on that."

Edward was exasperated with his own inability to come out and ask her to be his girlfriend. It sounded so junior highish anyway. He knew he wanted to be exclusive with her, and he definitely didn't want her dating anyone else. He just didn't know how to phrase it without sounding completely lame.

He looked at Bella out of the corner of his eye. She was smiling at him. He released the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. A smile had to mean something good.

"Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" She had the nerve to bat her eyelashes at him then. She knew how nervous he was and was using it against him

"Yeah, I am."

"Ok. I'll be your girlfriend. Under one condition."

Anything – he'd do practically anything for her. He'd fallen hard, but not fast. This had been building for two months.

"Name it."

He should have known it was coming. It hit him like a ton of bricks nonetheless.

"You tell me who Tanya is."


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

The pounding in his head was nothing new. The disorientation, the taste of ass in his mouth, and the empty condom wrappers on the carpet that he now kicked out of his way were standard operating procedure as well. Jacob felt like shit, but that was the way his life had gone for the past several weeks.

All in all, his life was pretty fucking normal.

None of it explained why he had a hole the size of Lake Quinault burning in his gut though.

Jacob sat on the edge of the bed and held his head for a few minutes. The pounding would stop soon, and then he could gather his clothes and get the hell out of there. He breathed in through his mouth so he could avoid the smells of cheap beer, bad perfume, and sex that lingered in the small bedroom.

When he was able, he lifted his head to check out the girl lying in the bed next to him. Brown hair. Cute face. Nice rack from what he could tell. He didn't remember her. Not really. He'd gone out with the guys from the shop the night before to get shitfaced. Mission fucking accomplished. He remembered hitting on a couple different girls, but this one must have come along later in the night. Shame. He would have liked to remember what sex with her had been like.

With a sigh, Jacob stood up, found the bathroom down the hall, and took care of his immediate needs. He tiptoed back to the bedroom and gathered his things before returning to the small bathroom to get dressed.

Usually, at this point, he would just sneak out of whatever house/apartment/condo that he'd woken up in. He had no short-term plans for this girl, but for some reason, Jacob walked back to the bedroom for one last look.

It really bothered him that he couldn't remember her. They'd obviously had sex. He should remember her. He stood in the doorway and stared at her for a moment. She'd flopped onto her back in his absence, and her top half was now completely exposed. Definite nice set of tits. She looked familiar too, like he should know her name, but nothing came to mind.

Jacob shrugged off the doorjamb and made his way out of the small apartment.

Ultimately, it didn't matter. There would be another girl that night, and then another the next. His pattern was pretty much set in stone now.

Outside, he recognized the area of town that her apartment was located. Good thing, since he didn't seem to have his car here. The girl, whatever her name was, must have driven them. Since he'd been drunk off his ass, that would have been the best idea anyway.

He was only a couple blocks away from the garage, so he started walking. The cold air would help to clear his head and keep away the dry heaves.

Jacob was proud of the garage. It had turned into a success. They were clearly in the black, which made Sam happy. It made Jacob happy too because it meant that he was doing something right for once.

He'd been nervous at first at the idea of managing the shop. He was a good mechanic and that was what he knew how to do best. Managing was completely different. He rarely got to work on cars anymore. Instead he spent most of his days dealing with complaints, keeping the employees happy and working the books. He missed getting his hands dirty every day, but the pay was nice.

He lived above the small two-car garage. The apartment had one bedroom, a bathroom, and a living space that housed a fridge, stovetop and sink. Yeah, he didn't think that he'd live there forever, but it was good enough for now.

Some days he missed La Push so bad, it brought tears to his eyes. That had been a surprise. He'd been happy to leave at first, but small things made him miss home now. The cry of a seagull. Kids skipping stones into the surf. That damn restaurant on 1st Street that he passed every day.

Bella Italia. Fuck, he hated that most of all. He pictured her face every time he walked past. Those huge, expressive brown eyes. Her little pointy chin. The small birthmark on her temple.

He missed Bella something fierce. He still didn't know what happened. Just one day, out of the blue, she fucking told him off. Told him off. Like he was some asshole or something.

And maybe he had been. A little bit. But in his defense, how was he supposed to remember that tall, blonde and sex on a stick was off limits? They'd barely exchanged names before falling into bed that night. He should have known something was up when that crazy bitch suggested that he give Bella a call to say hi.

Fuck – he'd been drunk. When she'd purred her name into his ear moments later, though, he'd sobered up damn quick.

He'd been used. To get at Bella. Fucking Lauren Mallory had never liked Bella for some reason. She'd tortured her all through school. Jacob never would have touched her had he known who she was. Bitch had changed since high school. Gotten a nose job and died her hair white-blonde.

She'd been an awful lay.

Not that he could explain any of this to Bella. Bella didn't want to talk to him anymore. Bella wouldn't answer the phone. Bella wouldn't return his messages.

She'd even pulled Charlie into her web of silence. The one time they'd eaten dinner together since that night, the Chief had a fit when he mentioned Bella.

"Son, I'm not supposed to be talking about Bella with you. Seems like you did something to hurt her feelings. You're number one on her shit list now. I can't help you out there."

"Charlie, that's just it. She won't let me apologize. If she'd only hear me out for a minute…"

"Jacob, shut up and pass the salt."

That had been the end of their conversation about Bella.

He'd seriously considered flying out to Happy Town or wherever she was living now, but he couldn't do that. For one thing, he didn't have her address. Charlie sure as hell wouldn't give it to him now. He could try Googling her, but that came too close to being a stalker.

Second – there was no guarantee that she would see or speak to him. And it would just be a waste of vacation days and airfare.

Third – he'd received a very scary phone call from some friend of hers. Alice, she said her name was. She'd sounded pissed. She'd described in detail how she was going to remove his testicles, get her husband to cook them, and then shove them down his throat if he didn't stop calling Bella.

Jacob had laughed at first. How much of a threat was some chick that lived thousands of miles away? She'd then described down to the color of his socks what he'd been wearing the day before.

Ok, so scary chick was a little bit of a threat. He hadn't called Bella since.

He knew how he would get her to talk to him though. She would come home for Christmas. No way she'd spend it without her dad. Jacob would be ready and waiting when she did. Scary chick hadn't said anything about talking to her in person.

Overall, Jacob was just confused. He'd only ever wanted the best for Bella. They'd been close growing up, like brother and sister. His only wish had been for her to get the fuck out of Forks. She was so much better than that little ho-dunk town. She was smart, and funny, and so much brighter and full of life than everyone else. She just hadn't been able to see it herself.

Jacob had seen the way the boys around town looked at her too. He'd been in more than one fight after his helpful suggestion to stay the fuck away from her went unnoticed. Bella deserved so much more than ending up pregnant and getting stuck there for the rest of her life.

He hadn't been able to keep all of them away in the end. Mike Newton had been the best of the bunch though. At least he'd had some kind of future. His parents owned that store in town. That wouldn't have been so bad for Bella. That was the only thing that saved him from complete and utter destruction when she dropped her bomb on him that one day.

She'd slept with Mike, given up her virginity to that total tool. Jacob had seen red. It took everything he had to stay calm and cool. He'd really wanted to track the asshole down and pummel his face in for laying a hand on her.

Bella had been so nonchalant about it, and that bothered him most of all. Didn't she want to save it for someone special? Girls made no sense.

The next few years had been difficult. Instead of going away to college, like she should have, Bella stayed home. Jacob had been almost relieved by her lack of a social life. It meant less heads he had to punch in.

But Bella wasn't happy. He could tell. He tried to make her laugh by telling her all his goofball stories about what happened at the garage. Over time, they just seemed to make her more sad.

After she graduated, she seemed hell bent on staying in Forks. Jacob had thrown in the towel. He could only do so much. He couldn't force her out of town. She was going to do what she wanted to do. He hated to see such a bright future flushed down the toilet though.

Then finally, she'd gotten the chance that she deserved to get out of town. That school had called and offered her a sweet deal. And Bella wanted to turn it down! So she could work at the diner in Forks instead!

Jacob loved her to pieces but he'd wanted to grab hold of her and shake her until her brain rattled into place. Didn't she know that you didn't let chances like that pass you by? That could have been her only chance and it was on its way by and Bella had turned her back on it like it wasn't important.

So, of course he'd told her to take the job. Charlie wasn't getting through to her. Who else was there to encourage her to follow her dreams?

The look on her face had been utter defeat. Jacob didn't understand anything anymore. What had happened to the girl he knew growing up? The one who wanted to fly airplanes and be a singer and President of the United States. The one who'd thrown rocks at the high school boys for trying to set the neighbor's cat on fire. The one who'd saved him from nearly drowning that time they'd gone out in the waves when they weren't supposed to and Jacob had been knocked down by a ten-footer. That girl had disappeared. All that was left was a hollow shell and Jacob hated to see it.

It had been hard to let her go, but he had to do it. He had to push her out into the world, all alone, so she could find herself again. He'd missed her so bad. Fuck – he still missed her. He missed her even more now that she wouldn't talk to him.

One screw-up. That's all it had taken.

Jacob was in his apartment by this point, having spent the entire walk angrily thinking through his memories.

"Christmas," he whispered to his dark and empty apartment. "I'll see her at Christmas."

***

Date: Sunday October 26

Time: 12:45 pm

Place: Esme and Carlisle Cullen's Kitchen

Bella followed Esme into the kitchen, carrying the tray of vegetables she'd been gnawing on for the past 45 minutes. She tended to fidget when she was nervous. So, she'd peeled apart several stalks of celery, nibbled on five baby carrots, and chewed apart two pieces of cauliflower.

Esme's kitchen was a place of wonder. Bella looked around the large room with wide eyes. It was even larger than Rosalie's kitchen, which shouldn't have been a surprise considering that Edward's parents lived in a freaking mansion.

The stovetop, oven, and refrigerator were all stainless steel, but they didn't even look like the appliances you would find in a regular kitchen. These had more bells, whistles and buttons than Bella could have even thought possible. The countertops were dark granite, and the island that stood in the middle of the kitchen was easily the size of her entire kitchen at home.

Esme nodded towards the island now and Bella placed her tray next to the pigs in a blanket that Esme had carried in.

Bella was nervous. She'd never gone through this "meet the parents" routine before. Plus, she was still freaked out by the way she'd reacted to Esme in the living room earlier.

She hadn't meant to cry in her ear.

"Can I help with anything?" Bella did know how to cook, and she wouldn't mind helping Edward's mom out. By the look of things though, Esme had it all under control.

"The rolls are probably ready to come out of the oven. Would you mind checking those for me, dear?"

Bella smiled. She liked being called "dear" by Edward's mom. Usually, that word would grate on her nerves, but coming from Esme, it made her feel special.

She pulled the rolls out and placed them on the cooling rack. They looked perfect, but she didn't expect any less from Esme. She was wearing a frilly apron and heels for crying out loud. This woman had homemaking down pat.

"Mrs. Cullen," Bella started.

"Call me Esme, dear. There's no need for us to be formal."

Right. That didn't explain the good china and silver that was set out on the dining room table though.

"About before, I'm sorry that I…"

"Edward mentioned that you and your mom aren't close." Esme said it so matter of factly. But, Bella had only told him about her mom two days ago. How did Esme know so soon? She frowned at her in confusion.

"Edward and I are close. He's my youngest. Don't tell Emmett, but I still do his laundry for him sometimes."

Bella bit her lip. That seemed odd.

"Um," Bella started again and blinked trying to clear her thoughts. "I was just overwhelmed. I really didn't mean to attack you like that. Or cry in your ear…"

"Bella, I don't mind either of those things. What you've done for Edward is so far and above any expectation I've had of his recovery. If only you could have seen him back at the beginning of the summer, I think you would see just how much he's changed."

If he'd been anything like the mean jerk she'd met in August, Bella thought she had a pretty good idea.

"It's all because of you, you know. He's come back to life and it's a beautiful thing. I can't thank you enough. So, if you want to hug me and cry on my shoulder, I'm not going to mind it a bit. And if you want to move in with him and give us more grandchildren, I'd be happy with that too."

And now the conversation had turned uncomfortable. She'd only had two dates with Edward, and his mom had them married already.

Bella laughed nervously. "I don't know about all that. But, I didn't want you to think I'm some scary, needy woman who has routine mental breakdowns."

"I don't."

"Ok." Bella released the breath she'd been holding. "That's good."

"Tanya, on the other hand, was a scary, needy woman who had routine mental breakdowns."

Bella snapped her mouth shut and sucked back in that puff of air. She went through the file in her brain labeled "Important things to know about Edward," but didn't find a listing for a Tanya anywhere.

"I'm sorry, Esme, but did you say Tanya? Who is Tanya?" Bella hated to ask. She didn't want to hear about Edward's ex-girlfriends, but if this one had been a psychopath, maybe she needed to be forewarned before she showed up at her apartment one night with a chainsaw.

"Oops," Esme said under her breath. She turned around and braced her hands on the countertop behind her.

"I wasn't supposed to mention her. Shit," she said, then rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand smearing flour across it in the process.

"Did I just hear you say a bad word, Mom?" Rosalie entered the kitchen, sans George.

Esme smirked at her daughter-in-law. "Yes, and I'll say it again. Shit."

Rosalie laughed and picked at the turkey that was waiting to be carved on the counter. "You must have done something bad to warrant that word. What did she do, Bella?"

Bella eyed Rosalie before answering. It was always hard to tell what kind of mood she was in, and she didn't feel like being yelled at today.

"She, uh, mentioned someone named Tanya."

Rosalie rolled her eyes and picked off another piece of the turkey. "Please. Edward is so ridiculous sometimes. He makes a big deal out of nothing. You should know. We're not supposed to tell you though."

"Well, so far you're both in the clear. I don't know anything except that he had an old girlfriend named Tanya. Oh, and she may be a psychopath." Bella briefly thought through the security in her apartment. She may need to get a guard dog if this ex-girlfriend was going to be a problem.

"She's not an ex-girlfriend. She was a student," Rosalie explained.

"Rosalie Hale Cullen," Edward's mother hissed at her. "You stop right now."

Rosalie sighed and sat on the stool next to the island. "Fine. I won't say another word."

Bella stood speechless staring between the two of them. This Tanya was a student of Edward's? Bella tried to picture all the girls at school, then all the ones that took his various music and band classes. She didn't know all of them. There could be a Tanya in there somewhere.

"Wait, so this Tanya is a student at Cullen Academy? A student of Edward's?" None of this made sense. Edward wouldn't be involved with a student, for crying out loud. That had to be illegal. And immoral. And certainly against Emmett's code of conduct. Of course, if your brother was the principal, it probably meant that you could get away with anything.

"Bella calm down. It's not what you think. Well, not entirely." Rosalie already seemed bored with the conversation. She'd walked back into the living room to tell the men that dinner was ready.

Bella stood with her mouth hanging open, staring after Rosalie and her nonchalance. Where Bella came from, this was a big deal.

"Bella, dear, please breathe." Esme took hold of her hands and led her to the stool that Rosalie had just vacated. "I promise you it's not what you think. Tanya does not go to Cullen Academy, anymore anyway. Edward was not involved with her. You know my son better than that."

Bella stared into her green eyes, eyes exactly like Edward's, and she could only nod in agreement. She did know Edward. He would never do anything like that.

"Now, Edward and the rest of them will be in here any moment. He will be very cross with me if he finds out that I spilled the beans. Can you do me a favor? Please? Wait until later to ask him about her. He needs to tell you, and I know that he wants to. Just, now is not the time. Ok, dear?"

Bella could not deny this woman anything. She oozed maternal love and comfort. Things she'd never really had from her own mom. Bella closed her eyes and nodded. She would wait until later, when she and Edward were alone. But then, she would find out the truth.

***

Two hours later…

Edward was quiet. He'd clenched his teeth when she mentioned Tanya. Bella wished that she could take back the request, but she needed to know. If they were going to be a couple, then she needed to know his secrets. And he needed to know hers. Honestly was the only way to start a relationship.

"My mom told you, didn't she?" His eyes stayed glued to the road. Bella hated it when he wouldn't look at her. True, he was driving, but he could have the decency to glance in her direction.

"She mentioned her. Wouldn't tell me anything else about her. I assumed she was an ex-girlfriend…"

"She wasn't," Edward interrupted.

"But then your mom said that she wasn't. But she'd been a student."

"Bella, I will tell you, but can this wait until we get back? I need to not be driving a potential weapon when I talk about her."

"Ok."

"Good." Edward blew out a breath and rotated his shoulders. He was obviously relieved, but still nervous. Bella wished she could take all of that away from him. If she had her way, he'd be happy, sexy, nerdy, musical Edward all the time. But life didn't work like that.

"Would you like to see where I live?"

Bella considered his request for a moment. He probably would be more comfortable with this conversation if he was in his own home. And she was anxious to see his place.

"Yes, I would."

"Ok." Edward turned the radio on and they listened to his jazz station for the rest of the car ride. Bella preferred to watch Edward play live then listen to some other musicians over the radio, but it made him happy. And since happy Edward was one of her favorite Edwards, it was a win-win situation.

Edward took the exit before hers off the highway, and they drove through the neighboring town of Middleton. His town was more residential than hers, with single-family homes and town homes mixed in together. They passed the local elementary school and two small parks, where Bella saw kids with their parents playing on the playground. They'd had a small break in the weather, so it was warmer than usual that afternoon. It looked like everyone was enjoying it while they still could.

Edward eventually pulled into a small community of town homes. They weren't ostentatious or even particularly brand new. They looked to be about ten years old. Trees and bushes grew in the small front yards of most of the homes.

Edward pulled into the driveway of an end unit on a small cul-de-sac. The front façade was brick, with pale yellow siding on the side. Bella could just make out a deck off the back.

Edward turned off the car and they sat in silence for a moment.

"This is my home."

"It looks nice…so far." Bella giggled. He was nervous. There was nothing to be nervous about.

"Let's go."

She followed him to the front door and watched him unlock the dead bolt and the regular lock. As soon as they entered, she heard the beep of an alarm system. Edward quickly lifted the panel and punched in a couple numbers. The alarm beeped off. Bella wondered if it was normal to have an alarm system in your home here. She didn't know anyone back in Forks who had one.

"Would you like a tour?" Edward stood in the hallway, flipping his keys from one hand to the other. Still nervous. Bella sighed and wished, again, that he wouldn't be so nervous. It was just her.

"I'd love a tour."

"Great." He seemed overjoyed to be putting off the conversation that they were about to have. Bella let him have his 15 minutes of delays. She wasn't leaving without answers though.

He showed her the first floor, which had his living room, kitchen, small powder room and dining room. He led her up a small set of stairs to the second floor which had two guest rooms, one of which he used as an office, a bathroom, then the master bed and bath.

Bella blushed when she saw his bed. It was massive. It looked like it was at least a king. Maybe even bigger than that. What did he need so much room for? She tried not to picture any reasons why he would need that much room. She knew there had been girls before her, but she didn't really want to think about Edward being intimate with any of them.

He was trying to lead her towards the bathroom of all places, which he seemed really excited about. He pointed out the large tub and shower stall inside. Bella oohed and ahhed appropriately. Bathrooms didn't do it for her, but he oozed pride and enthusiasm.

He finally led her back down to the living room where he settled her onto the sofa before heading into the kitchen for drinks.

Now this was a bachelor's living room. His TV was huge. She saw a Playstation 3 and a Wii. The couch was leather, and he was using an upside down planter as a footstool. There was a strange, brown stain on the carpet and the room smelled like socks.

Bella didn't have to worry about Edward hiding any women in here.

He came back with her Coke and joined her on the sofa. Bella thought back to the last time they'd been on a sofa together and blushed again. She still couldn't believe that she'd attacked him last night. She wondered if he would mind if they did it again.

Bella shook her head and closed her eyes. Tanya, they were here to talk about Tanya. Sexy fun times could take place later. So long as she didn't learn something completely unpleasant about Edward that made her break up with him hours after they became official.

Bella set her glass down on the coffee table, which appeared to be a thin, flat piece of wood stretched out over two boxes and covered with a tablecloth.

"So tell me about Tanya."

Edward reached over and took one of her curls in between his fingers. He stared at it for a moment before looking into her eyes. She could handle what was coming. Edward was a good man.

"Tanya was a student in my music appreciation class, three years ago. She was a senior that year. She was a good student. Honor roll. Yearbook staff. Had plans to go to Northwestern. She took my class just to fill an elective. For most of the year, she continued to be a good student. She always got A's. Always. Every test, homework assignment, paper – she always got an A. She was just really smart. Too smart, I think. She got bored."

Bella nodded her head, encouraging him to go on. So far nothing alarming had happened. It couldn't be too bad.

"She started coming by after school, looking for extra credit work. She didn't need to do extra credit, Bella. Like I said – all A's. But, I took pity on her. She seemed sad and a little lonely." Edward snorted in disbelief. "I was the stupid one. Soon, she came by every day after school. I didn't know what to do with her. I thought she needed someone to talk to, so I stayed and talked to her. Just trying to mentor her or help her through whatever little crisis she was having. I figured it would go away and our after school sessions would stop. It only got worse. She started coming by before school too. Then, she would hunt me down during lunch. She changed her schedule so we'd have lunch at the same time."

Edward looked anguished. Bella didn't know what to do to help him. She figured the best thing to do was just let him finish his story.

"I should have said something to someone, but I didn't. I honestly thought she just needed a friend. I had zero interest in her other than that, Bella. I wasn't dating anyone at the time, but I would never, ever date a student. It never occurred to me that she wanted something more from me than just an ear to talk to. Then one Saturday, out of the blue, she showed up here, at my home. My freaking house, Bella. I let her in, because I figured something was horribly wrong for her to have tracked me down at home, and that was the dumbest thing I have ever done. As soon as I let her in, she jumped on me and started kissing me. She told me she'd been waiting forever for me to make the first move, and she was tired of waiting. She wouldn't tell anyone about 'us.' She loved me as much as I obviously loved her."

Bella's mouth was now hanging wide open. She'd never even considered this possibility when Tanya's name was mentioned just a few short hours ago. No wonder Edward didn't want to talk about her.

"I finally peeled her off me and opened the door, told her to get out. I should have handled it better. God, I have wished so many times now that I had handled it better. I told her that I didn't love her and had no interest in her other than as a student. I told her to change her schedule on Monday because I couldn't be her teacher any more. Bella, baby, it only gets worse from here. Do you need a tissue or something?"

Bella didn't realize that tears had started to leak out of one of her eyes. She shook her head and wiped the offending moisture off with her sleeve. At least he hadn't panicked this time at the sight of her tears.

"There are so many coulda, shoulda, wouldas in this story. I should have called Emmett. I should have called her parents. I should have told someone, anyone, about what had happened. But, I didn't. I wanted to save Tanya the embarrassment. Right. Like Tanya needed saving. Monday morning, Emmett called me into his office. Tanya's parents were there along with my dad and two other board members. Tanya had gone home after being rejected and told her parents that I'd made a move on her. Propositioned her: a good grade for sex. That I'd lured her to my home under the pretense of more extra credit work. That I'd tried to kiss her and threatened her with a failing grade if she didn't keep her mouth shut. That she'd told me off and run out of my house."

Bella could only stare at him. He was right – this had gotten a whole lot worse. He didn't even seem to be there in the moment though. Edward told the story like it had happened to someone else. Maybe it had. Maybe he'd been a different Edward back then.

"She was 18, so the school was saved the embarrassment of having the police involved. I, however, was not going to be so lucky. My own freaking brother had to fire me, in front of my father, in front of two men who I'd grown up knowing as close family friends. I wasn't given the opportunity to speak in my defense. Tanya, apparently, had overwhelming evidence to back up her claims. She had an audio tape of our 'encounter' that proved the whole thing."

Bella couldn't remain quiet any longer. "Wait, she had an audio tape?" Bella had been convinced up until that point that Edward was innocent. But a tape was pretty damning evidence.

"I'll get to that in a minute. Yes, she had an audio tape. Emmett had listened to it and decided that it was, in fact, my voice on the tape. He had no choice. My own brother sent me packing. The fallout from it was the worst. I had reporters hounding me for weeks for an interview. It was big news that one of the area's wealthiest family's 'golden child' had been caught messing around with a student. I was embarrassed, my family was embarrassed. They wouldn't talk to me for a whole week. I had to go through the yellow pages looking for a lawyer. I couldn't use Dad's because the firm was on retainer to the school. Tanya's parents were threatening civil action. Bella, it was horrible. I'd never felt so alone in my entire life. Do you know who finally came to me?"

Bella knew. "Alice," she whispered.

Edward nodded. "Of course it was Alice. She was the only one who believed me. Well, I'm pretty sure my mom believed me too, but she had to side with my dad, but that's neither here nor there. Alice showed up here, at my home, two days later. She had to park two streets over and cut through the neighbors' yards to avoid the reporters that were staked outside. But, she came. She brought me food and she smacked me around a little. I'd fallen into a mope."

Bella had no problem picturing Edward in a mope.

"She found me a lawyer. And a P.I. It took a couple weeks, but they finally figured out how Tanya had gotten an audio recording of our supposed encounter. She'd gone to her ex-boyfriend and bribed him into pretending to be me. Did a hell of an impression too. Anyway, Tanya forgot to come through on her side of the deal and it made her accomplice a little pissed. They got him to talk, and the other pieces fell apart as soon as he did. I'd had a witness most days to our after school sessions. The janitor had a crush on Tanya, and he would spend an extra five minutes every day vacuuming the hall outside my room. He swore that he never saw anything out of the ordinary going on between us. Mrs. Trips also made a statement that Tanya had come into the office on more than one occasion trying to get my personal information out of her."

"Was that the end of Tanya?"

"I wish. She was obviously expelled from school. With so many small pieces of her story falling apart, her parents had to drop their threats of a lawsuit. It was quiet, for a while. Then, I received some phone calls where nobody said anything. My doorbell would ring and no one would be there. It was creepy. I finally caught her looking in my windows one night and that was the end of it. I had to file a restraining order against her, Bella. She had some sick fascination with me. She'd convinced herself that we were in love and was crushed when I didn't return that love. She snapped."

"What about Emmett? And your parents?" Bella was a little mad at them for the part they'd played. They should have been more supportive.

"It took two weeks, but they finally acknowledged that a mistake had been made. Emmett was the most upset out of anyone. He hated that he'd been forced to fire me, but he offered me my job back. I couldn't do it though. I just couldn't go back there. I couldn't handle all the staring and talking that would have gone on behind my back. The story only got more scandalous once Tanya's crazy plot had been revealed. The school didn't need publicity like that."

"So, you moved to New York." It had been mentioned more than once. Bella knew that's where he'd been for a few years.

"Yeah. Seth, my college roommate, was living there and he offered me his couch. I stayed because it was easier than facing all the crap back home."

"What did you do the whole time you were gone?" Two years seemed like a long time to stay away from your family.

Edward thrummed his finger against his knee and pursed his lips. "I wish I could say that I was productive, but I can't. I bummed around. Spent almost all of my trust fund. Played a couple open mic nights. Drank a lot of beer. Look, I'm not proud of it. I ran away and tried to hide. It was not a good time, Bella."

"Oh, Edward…" Bella's heart ached for him. No wonder he'd been so hurt and angry when he came back. He'd forced himself into exile. His family had basically turned against him. Bella would have been hurt and angry too.

"I don't need your sympathy."

Bella felt as if he'd slapped her. "I see."

"Bella, I can't stand the thought of you feeling sorry for me. Please don't look at me like that, with pity in your eyes."

Bella tried to wipe her face clean, but she didn't think it was possible. She just felt so badly for everything that he'd gone through. How could she not be empathetic?

"I did all these things on my own. No one forced me. I don't deserve your goodness or anything else you want to dish out. My life…I was just existing in it for a while. Not really living. I was miserable. I came home because my mom begged me to. I knew it was a mistake, but I came back anyway. Most of the students who'd been at the school when Tanya was there were gone. Emmett adjusted the code of conduct to suit his needs. It was supposedly a 'safe environment'. I was just so fucking miserable still."

Edward looked at her then, and his eyes shone with that light again, the light she'd seen in the library just the week before. It was a beautiful thing.

"All that changed when I met you. I felt something for the first time in a long time."

Bella wasn't sure she wanted to dredge up these memories. They weren't quite as fond for her.

"I know. I was a shit to you at first. And I'm sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am. I was mad at first, for feeling things. Then I realized that I was being a complete and utter asshole, and it was like I had flipped a switch. I started noticing little things about you. The color of your hair. The way your eyes sparkled when you talked about books. Your sexy little legs."

Now he was embarrassing her. Bella felt the blush spread quickly. "Edward…"

"Please let me finish. Bella, in just two months, you have become so extraordinarily important to me. I don't want to screw this up. I just need you to know that I feel as if I owe my life to you."

"Edward," Bella placed her fingers over his lips so he'd stop talking. It was finally going to be her turn. "Please don't make me out to be someone I'm not. I'm not a savior. I really don't deserve all this credit."

"But you do," Edward mumbled around her fingers.

"Everyone has their own issues. I'm still trying to work through mine, and I don't need any extra responsibility. Whatever changes you've gone through, they've been because of you, not because of me."

"How am I going to convince you that you're wrong?"

"You're not going to be able to," Bella whispered. The air had changed suddenly. There was electricity and tension where they had been sadness before.

Bella wondered if Edward felt it too.

He must have, because he licked the fingertips that were pressed against his mouth. Just a little dart of the tongue, but Bella gasped in response.

"Now, will you please let me thank you properly?"

How could she resist an offer like that?

Edward pressed her back into the sofa with a smile on his face. It was a pleasant departure from the anguish and pain.

Bella ran her fingers across his cheekbones and into his hair, bringing his face down to hers. She had sudden butterflies in her stomach and she felt off-balance. Would she ever feel normal while kissing Edward?

He brought his lips down to hers and their mouths met in hot open-mouthed kisses. Bella relaxed back into the cushions and let the weight of his body press her down even further. They took their time exploring, learning the taste and textures of their mouths. When Edward released her mouth and started sucking on her neck, Bella groaned. His mouth felt so good against her skin.

She shoved her hands into his hair to hold him in place against her neck. It was such a trusting place to hold him. Her very life blood beat rapidly only inches underneath her skin. He was sucking and nipping against her pulse, like he was trying to break through the skin. Bella could only press him harder against her neck, in a silent plea to do whatever he wanted to do to her.

His mouth made its way down her neck and along her collarbone. He licked the length of it, from shoulder to shoulder. She shivered from the damp trail that his kisses left behind.

Edward suddenly stopped and looked at her. She was panting; she wasn't ashamed to admit that Edward had her panting. She stared back, wondering why he had stopped.

She felt his hand slide up her side and she suddenly realized that he was asking permission. Silly, Edward. Didn't he realize that he didn't have to ask permission to touch her? She wanted him to touch her everywhere.

She licked her lips and smiled. Hopefully, that would be incentive enough to keep going.

His strong hand rubbed the side of her breast and Bella moaned. She was surprised, though, when he kept going, and reached up to trace her collarbone with his fingers, and then her chin. He shifted positions so he could trace the rest of her face. Her eyelids. Her mouth. Her nose. Her cheeks. Even her forehead. Like a blind man, Edward used his fingers to learn her face. It was incredibly romantic, and it turned her on even more than she already was.

So, it was a surprise when his other hand, the one that wasn't tracing the contours of her face, suddenly reached her breast and cupped it lovingly. She hadn't been paying any attention to the hand that had snuck around and completed the initial task of the other.

His thumb brushed across her nipple, and Bella arched her back off the sofa.

"Edward," she moaned his name this time.

"Yes?" His thumb continued to rasp against her nipple, through her clothes, while his other hand cupped her cheek lovingly.

"Ungh," Bella panted out. She didn't think she could form any more words.

The hand that held her face suddenly fell away, and Bella opened her eyes, not even realizing that she'd closed them. Why was Edward pulling away?

Only, he wasn't. He'd moved down so he could unbutton her top. Bella watched his long, slim fingers push each button through its hole, releasing the fabric it held together and exposing another inch of her flushed skin. The process was excruciatingly slow. He stopped only when he reached the edgy lace of her bra. It was the same style as the pink one from the day before. Bella was wearing its red twin.

Edward traced the edge of her bra against her skin with his fingertips. She watched him, fascinated with the way her skin tightened at the touch of his finger. He slipped his long index finger underneath the edge of the cup to feel the softer skin that lay hidden inside.

She expected him to shove his entire hand inside in order to cup her breast, but he surprised her by unbuttoning her shirt the rest of the way and peeling back the sides. He pushed the strap off her right shoulder, and the cup out of the way, exposing her one breast to the cool afternoon air of his living room.

Bella looked down at her body. Her breast was exposed, the nipple tight and puckered. Aching for contact. Edward hovered just inches above, clearly contemplating his next move. She reached her hands up to his hair, to aid him in his momentous decision, when they were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.

Bella froze. She felt like she was a kid being caught doing something she wasn't supposed to. Which was silly. She was an adult. She could lie half-naked in her boyfriend's house if she wanted to.

Bella liked the sound of the word "boyfriend."

The doorbell rang again and Edward climbed up off the sofa, rearranging his clothes in the process. He untucked his shirt, which Bella had to assume was to cover the erection she'd felt pressing against her leg.

"Shit." Edward didn't look happy. "I forgot."

Bella sat up and started putting her own clothes back together. "Are you expecting someone?" He hadn't mentioned having other plans.

"That's probably Joey. We're supposed to practice tonight. I'll cancel. We can practice this week instead…"

"No, don't do that." Bella stood and turned her back while she finished buttoning her top. The process seemed less difficult when Edward wasn't staring at her with hooded eyes and sex still clearly on the brain. "You've got your gig coming up. You need to practice." Bella would be damned if they started their relationship by giving up on dreams for one another. She turned back around when she was sure that she was completely covered.

"Are you sure? I never should have started…I just forgot." Edward looked back at the couch, clearly disappointed to have been interrupted. Bella knew exactly how he felt.

The doorbell rang again, but this time in short, angry bursts.

"I think Joey's getting impatient."

Edward ran his hands through his hair in a last minute attempt to tame it. Bella laughed to herself. If her hair looked anything like his, it wasn't going to be a big secret what they had just been up to.

Edward finally loped over to the door to let his bandmate in. Bella heard a deep voice join Edward's before they made their way into his living room.

Joey, who turned out to be the sax player that Bella remembered from Chicago, stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her standing in Edward's living room. Bella smiled at him and looked to Edward. Edward was also staring at Joey, but he had an unpleasant expression on his face.

Bella stepped forward and offered her hand, since Edward seemed intent on being rude.

"Hi, I'm Bella."

Joey looked quickly between her and Edward again, and then took her hand. "Joey." He dropped it and stepped back almost immediately.

Bella rolled her eyes. She never imagined that she would have to deal with a jealous boyfriend.

"Edward says you have practice tonight."

Joey nodded in agreement and went back to looking anywhere but at her or Edward.

Well, this was awkward.

"Ok, well, Edward?" That finally got his attention. He peeled his eyes away from his friend and looked at her. "Can you drive me home?" She suddenly wished she'd brought her own car so she could leave the boys to whatever pissing contest they wanted to play. Bella had no interest in participating.

"Yeah, of course. Joe – make yourself at home. I'll be back in 20 minutes."

Bella waved goodbye to Joey and let Edward take her hand on the way out the door. This possessive act was going to get old quickly.

Edward was quiet on the drive to her apartment. Bella couldn't take it anymore when they pulled onto her street.

"So, are you going to act like this every time I meet one of your friends?" Bella sincerely hoped that the answer would be "no."

She was doomed for disappointment.

"Did you see the way he looked at you? He's lucky he's the best sax player around."

"Edward, he didn't look at me any kind of way. He barely took any notice of me except that it seemed unusual for you to have someone over."

"Hmmph."

"I want your friends to like me."

Edward parked in front of her building but didn't get out of the car. "They don't have to like you too much though."

"You have nothing to worry about, you know. I'm not interested in anyone else. I only see you, Edward." Bella wasn't used to speaking so boldly. Saying what was on her mind and revealing her true feelings were foreign actions. Something about Edward made her want to be as honest as possible.

"I only see you too. But I didn't like the way he looked at you."

"Edward, you can't stop other people from looking at me. Just like I can't stop other people from looking at you. You don't even realize the number of women who checked you out this weekend alone. I know you don't because it's like you've got tunnel vision. And I'm flattered, I really am. But you need to realize that I have tunnel vision too. It's only you."

Bella took his hand and laced her fingers through his.

"If your friend hadn't shown up, do you realize what we'd be doing right now?"

Edward grinned, a cocky half-grin that Bella had never seen before. It brought a smile to her face from just the promise behind it.

"I'm kind of glad Joey showed up. Just like I was glad that you stopped things last night."

Edward shot her a look of disbelief.

"Ok, so I wasn't happy at first. But later on, after you'd left, I was glad. I'm very attracted to you, and when we're together it's like we ignite and there's no stopping us. I just need to make sure that this is right before we completely burst into flames."

Edward sighed. "You're right."

"I think those are two of my favorite words."

"Well, I am sorry that we were interrupted, but I look forward to having several opportunities in the very near future to continue where we left off." He leered at her, and then leaned in to kiss her.

Bella was gasping for air when he finished. The man knew how to kiss.

"Sounds like a good plan."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Bella."

Bella got out of the car and watched Edward drive away. The ache in her chest and gut would take a while longer to disappear.

* * *

A/N: Some disclaimers. I am not nor have I ever been a lawyer. I've never studied the law, nor do I plan to. I am, however, a college-educated individual. I did research on Tanya's "claims", and I have portrayed the outcome as how I think it could possibly have been handled. I do know that some states have laws against students and teachers being involved with one another, even if the student is over 18. For the purposes of this story, we'll pretend that Illinois is not one of those states. In Edward's situation, this is how I think the private school he works for would have handled things. Other schools may do it differently, but in the end, this is a work of fiction. I'm trying to make it as real as possible, within some limits.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

Bella had a lot to think about in the days following Edward's confession. She'd known for a while that something horrible had happened to him and that he'd been living in New York for a few years because of it. She never would have guessed that it was all due to the crush of one silly student.

Strangely enough, it made her reflect on the crush that she had harbored for years as well. She knew well the pain of rejection, the sting of perceived betrayal and the embarrassment in the realization that your feelings had been completely one-sided.

The one difference that rang in Bella's head, over and over, was that she'd never had the courage to confront Jacob with her feelings. For all the crappy things that Tanya had done to Edward, at least she had garnered the courage to face her crush head on.

Tanya's behavior afterwards was, of course, inexcusable. Bella couldn't help but wonder how different things might have been in her own situation had she ever steeled her nerves and confronted Jacob about her feelings.

She'd just always assumed that he knew. No man was that dense, right? She'd hung on his every word as if his thoughts held the meaning to life. She'd laughed at his jokes like he was Will Ferrell. She'd spent countless hours helping him with homework, cooking meals for him and just being available for his every need.

A small part of her mind and heart was beginning to wonder if he'd ever known. Maybe, just maybe, he'd just always assumed that she wanted to be friends and nothing more.

It was a sobering moment when she realized that she had run away from her own horrible situation, just like Edward had. At the time, it had seemed like her only option: her one chance to break free and out. Only, her heart and soul had been on the line instead of Edward's embarrassment and familial break in trust.

She and Edward had so very much in common, and they were just beginning to realize the actual depths of the bond they were creating. Bella would forever look back upon the beginning of her relationship with Edward as being filled with utter and complete joy. She was finding a new piece to the puzzle of her life everyday, and it was both satisfying and terrifying. She was finally at a place where she could explore her boundaries and grow and mature as a person. And Edward played a big role in her transformation.

In the week that followed, they spent as much time as possible together, which proved to be a difficult task. Edward and his band practiced almost every evening. Bella had discovered a Scrabble club in the area and had joyfully shown up for their Tuesday night meeting. She and Charlie had played together at least once a week, and she missed the ritual. This seemed like a good way to bring a part of her life in Forks to her new life in Bear Lake.

She and Edward also had to juggle the stress and time constraints of their jobs. There were always lessons to plan, tests to grade, and students to manage.

They did manage to sneak in a few brief moments together during the day. They started eating lunch in the music room so they could be alone. The stares from the staff and students had become obnoxious. After Edward's revelation about Tanya, it became crystal clear why any relationship that Edward had would be big news. Some of them probably believed that he was actually interested in dating girls that were way too young for him. Compared to a high school senior, Bella must have seemed ancient.

Plus, it was easier to hold hands and sneak in some kisses without an audience. She laughingly smacked his hands away every time he tried to cop a feel though.

"Not during school," Bella always told him.

"You sound like Emmett," was Edward's reply.

A few small hiccups appeared over the course of the week, but to Bella, who felt like she might be falling in love, they barely appeared on her radar screen.

She realized on Tuesday that she hadn't heard from Jacob in quite some time. She mentioned it to Alice during the pep assembly.

"I might have called him," Alice replied.

Bella was not surprised. "Might have?" She was actually a little curious too. "How did he sound?"

"He was angry, at first. But I reasoned with him, and he eventually agreed to give you the space you'd requested."

"Somehow I don't think that's all you did." Bella was positive there was more to the story, actually.

"You'll just have to trust me, though, won't you?"

At the staff meeting on Wednesday, Emmett yelled at them for a while about Sunday's newspaper article. Bella watched the faces of everyone in the meeting, but she hadn't been able to pick out the guilty party. Whoever the snitch was, they were doing a good job of covering their tracks.

Emmett went through the usual list of topics fairly quickly then spent 15 minutes assigning each staff member to a focus group on various topics that the school wanted to explore for the following school year. Bella was assigned to the free lunch program, whereas Edward and Alice were both assigned to the keeping arts alive in the schools initiative. She was only slightly jealous that they would be able to work together. She'd briefly flashed back to her high school days when Emmett had assigned groups. She'd always been picked last for gym and Bella had sat through Emmett's roll call simultaneously hoping that she would be picked soon and praying that she wouldn't be put on the committee for waste management improvement.

The one important thing that happened over the week, that definitely made a blip, was the phone call she received from her mom. She rarely talked to her mom on the phone, and Bella actually felt a little bad about that. Like she should make more of an effort to keep in touch with her.

Renee relayed the bad news that she and Phil were heading to Italy over the Thanksgiving holiday, so they wouldn't be able to spend it with Bella. Bella was actually ok with that, since she'd been thinking about flying home to visit her dad instead anyway.

Her dad, however, had other plans.

"Aw, kid, I wish you'd told me last week. I booked a weekend fishing cruise because I figured you'd be with your mom."

Bella remembered that was what her dad did every year, since she wasn't around for the holiday.

Charlie offered to cancel the trip, but he'd sounded so excited about it. Bella refused to let him do it.

"I'll come home for Christmas like we planned instead. I can stay for two full weeks. That will be much better than just a long weekend."

"I miss you, Bells."

Bella wiped the tear out of her eye. "Miss you too."

So, it had been a pretty normal week other than that. Work, Edward, Alice, Edward, Jessica, Edward, Scrabble, Edward.

Edward was fitting into her schedule nicely.

They had another date planned for Friday. Edward took the evening off from band practice, and Bella picked out another dress from her closet.

Edward took her to see a special preview at the Museum of Contemporary Photography in the city. They had an artist who had captured the city in photographs, showcasing the city's history, architecture, and vitality through his lens, but in a modern, abstract way.

They spent a couple hours soaking in the photographs, mingling with the other couples they met and just enjoying each other's company. Edward took his time with each photograph, identifying various building and landmarks for her since she didn't know the city nearly as well as he did. His comments and stories about the various places just made the photos that more memorable.

They had a late dinner at a nearby Spanish restaurant that looked out over Grant Park. Bella loved the colorful interior, great food and terrific views.

The best part of the entire night was that Edward couldn't keep his hands off her. He seemed to constantly find an excuse to touch her hair, or her skin, or her hip.

It was slowly driving her insane.

Bella was ready to further explore the physical side of their relationship. Edward seemed to be on the same page. They'd had several false starts and interruptions. Every morning, she woke feeling restless and on edge. Dreams of Edward filled her mind every night and left her wanting more. Bella so needed the more to happen soon.

Edward was hand-feeding her strawberries while Mediterranean music played softly in the background. She licked his fingers every time they came close to her mouth. He tasted salty underneath the sweet taste of the strawberries, and Bella wondered if he tasted like that all over. She desperately wanted to find out.

When the strawberries were gone, she closed her eyes and exhaled, trying to regain control of her body. She felt like strings were tied to several points of her body, and Edward held the end of the strings. He smiled and her gut clenched. He licked his lips and her breath rushed out of her lungs. He traced her palm with his finger, like he was doing just at that moment, and it went straight to her core.

"Edward," she whispered, not able to stand it any longer. "Can we please go now?"

Edward chuckled and continued to draw lazy circles on her left palm as well. "And where do you want to go?"

"Home. Take me home with you."

Edward dropped her hand like it was a hot coal and signaled the waiter. He was done being playful. The teasing glint to his eyes was gone and his mouth formed a hard straight line. He was just as anxious as she was to get out of there.

He held her close as they walked the short distance to the car. He kept one arm wrapped around her waist and whispered silly things in her ear just to make her giggle. It helped to ease the tension a little bit.

Until they got into the car and closed the doors. It was like they had shut an elephant in with them. One that was sitting on their lungs and making it hard to breathe.

Bella laughed again just to get the air moving in the car. "I think you'd better drive fast."

Edward didn't need to be told twice. He made the hour-long trip in 40 minutes.

Edward held her hand as they walked up to the door of his townhouse. Bella was suddenly nervous. She hadn't done this in a really long time. What if she did something wrong? What if it was just as horrible as she remembered?

All thoughts vanished as soon as Edward pulled her inside his front vestibule and reset the alarm. The house was dark, and Bella blinked trying to adjust to the loss of light. She could hear Edward breathing deeply just paces away from where he'd propped her up against the wall.

"Edward?" She honestly didn't know where he was or what he was waiting for.

"Just give me a minute," he told her. His voice sounded raspy and strained. She stuck her arms out in front of her, trying to locate him, but she only hit air.

Bella laughed, thinking he was playing a game. "Where are you?"

Edward groaned and Bella realized he might not be playing a game after all. "Are you ok?"

"Isabella. You have me wound so tight. I don't think I can go slow with you if we don't take a minute."

"Oh," Bella squeaked, feeling the telltale dampness between her thighs at the sound of her name on his lips. Bella was breathing hard now too, and he hadn't even touched her.

"Tell me what you want to do," she said. If he couldn't touch her just yet, then maybe he could talk her through things first. Maybe that would help calm her nerves.

"You're killing me," he whispered back. Bella waited, hoping he would go on anyway.

"I want to kiss you long and deep. I want to strip all your clothes off and learn your body with my hands, with my tongue and with my eyes. I want to plant my face between your thighs and learn what your juices taste like. I want to feel you come against my mouth. I want to hold you close, feel your body against mine, and plunge in so deep that my cock hits your womb. I want to stroke and plunge inside your body, over and over, until we both explode. Most of all, Isabella, I want to hear you scream my name."

Bella whimpered and almost collapsed to the floor. Her initial plan to calm her nerves had backfired. She was shaking from just the words that he spoke. The things that he wanted to do to and with her? It all sounded pretty good. If only he would actually touch her now.

"Come here," he whispered. His voice sounded different now. It was deep and husky, but the desperate need was gone. It had been replaced with something even sexier: promise.

Bella slipped her shoes off and shuffled across his tiled floor. She didn't stop until she felt her body bump against his. She placed her hands against his chest and waited.

Edward ran his hands down her sides until they rested on her hips. He ran one hand up her back, where he slid it up and down, slowly. He reached down and cupped her butt, pulling her body even closer against his. His fingers stroked along the cusp, where her thigh met the curve of her cheek. She was suddenly very thankful for all those dumb squats that Jessica had been making her do.

Edward leaned in and teased her ear, first with just his breath and then with his teeth.

"Let's go upstairs," he whispered now, and Bella nodded her head in agreement. It didn't matter that he probably couldn't see her in the dark. Her brain had shortwired and words were no longer possible. Edward led her by the hand through the darkened living room, up the stairs, and into his room.

It was dark, but there was enough light coming in through the windows that Bella could see him now. She looked at the bed, but quickly looked away.

Edward pushed her hair off her neck and kissed up and down the length of it. Bella trembled in his arms.

"Shhh...it's ok. Are you nervous?" He rubbed his hands up and down her bare arms, no doubt feeling the goosebumps that had gathered.

"Yes." She paused, wondering how best to bring this up, and what his reaction would be. "Edward...it's been a while." Bella gulped at the admission. She wanted him to enjoy this. She just didn't know how to deliver.

"Oh, Bella, it's ok. We'll go slow. But, tell me. How long?" Bella didn't want to tell him. She hated that she had to even remember being intimate with anyone but him in that moment.

"Five years," she whispered back.

Edward was silent for a heartbeat, but then he groaned and pulled her close again. "You're going to be tight." He made some other sounds after that. It sounded like he was in pain.

Any rational thoughts after that were impossible. Edward slammed his lips down on hers and walked her backwards towards the bed. Her knees hit the edge of the mattress and she fell backwards onto it, toppling Edward down on it too. They kissed for several long minutes, just as Edward had promised.

Soon, that wasn't enough anymore. Edward pulled her hands until they were both standing up again. He spun her around, lifted her hair off her neck, and slowly inched her zipper down her back. He placed kisses on the skin that was exposed and only stopped when he reached the top of her panties.

"Take your dress off," he told her when he was done with the zipper and the kisses. Bella yanked at the hem and pulled it off over her head, tossing it towards a chair that sat in the corner. She was pretty sure that she had missed the target, but she didn't care enough to check.

She stood before him in just her underwear.

Edward swallowed, hard, and Bella reached towards him to unbutton his shirt. She slipped each button through slowly, and following his lead, kissed each inch of skin that was revealed.

Bella felt like Magellan as she explored Edward's chest. He had a light covering of hair, dark blonde in color. He didn't have a six pack or well-defined pecs, but he was fit nonetheless. Bella pushed his shirt off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor behind him. She ran her hands over his chest, liking the feeling of the springy hair underneath her fingers. Her nail rasped across one of his nipples and he hissed.

His nipples were different from her own. Another discovery. They were flat and long, and she liked the way they felt. Edward seemed to like having her hands on him too. She got a brief moment of inspiration and leaned in to suck one into her mouth. He was salty there too, and she liked the way he felt against her tongue. She flicked the nub several times and circled it, sucking and pulling all at the same time. Edward lightly held her head to his chest, saying her name quietly, but repeatedly.

When she knew she had him completely distracted, she reached down to his waistband and undid his belt buckle, slipping it through the loops with a swoosh. Edward sucked in a breath and held it. She could feel the contraction of his diaphragm against her hand. She released his nipple and concentrated on what lay underneath her hands. She slipped her hand back into the waistband and unbuttoned his pants, then slid the zipper down. Bella felt courageous. She'd never undressed a man before.

Taking another cue from Edward's playbook, she told him to take his pants off. She smiled at his quick compliance.

They stood next to his bed, with only their underwear separating them at this point. Bella took a step forward and rubbed her body against his. The sensation was so much more electrifying than when they were dressed. She could feel the rasp of her nipples against her bra, and the way her bra scraped against his chest. The slide of Edward's naked skin underneath her hands was both smooth and taut. His body hair felt almost foreign as it brushed against her own smooth skin.

As close as they stood, as almost bare as they were, it still wasn't quite enough yet.

Edward must have felt the same way. He reached behind and unsnapped her bra, tossing it to the floor to join the rest of his clothes. His hands slid around and cupped her breasts. Bella arched her back, offering herself. Edward bent his head and licked and teased until she couldn't stand anymore.

Edward guided her to the bed again and laid her down against the sheets. They were cool against her back, but the man at her front was hot enough to set them on fire. He slid his hands down across her stomach until his fingers reached the edge of her panties.

"Bella," he said, panting a little, "Once these come off, I'm not going to be able to stop or go slow anymore. Are you ready?"

Bella smiled and reached her hand towards his face. He really was the sweetest man she'd ever met. Who else would take the time to ensure that this was what she wanted right before it was too late?

"Yes, Edward, please," she told him now. She was beyond ready.

Edward growled and yanked her panties down hard, pulling them off her legs and tossing them somewhere, who cares where. Bella was completely nude, but it didn't bother her. She just needed Edward to be as naked.

Edward seemed engrossed in the sight of her sex and what she knew to be an embarrassing amount of moisture. Bella ran her hands down his torso until she came into contact with the top of his boxers. She tried to push them off his hips, but he seemed to be resisting.

"Edward, help me."

Edward lifted his head and stared into her eyes like he was trying to decipher the language that she was speaking. Bella laughed and repeated the request, using words he might better understand. "Take your clothes off."

That seemed to do the trick. He stood, yanked his boxers off and climbed back on top of her before she could even blink.

Not that she would have blinked regardless. She wasn't going to miss an inch of this man. It would have been hard to miss the part of him that stood at attention, heavy with his want and need, nestled in his own curls.

Bella licked her lips as she thought about the way he would feel or even taste. She wanted to hold him. She wanted to stroke him. She wanted him in her mouth so she could suck and lick him.

Edward's fingers distracted her from her intentions. They skimmed down her stomach and across her hipbones. They ran down the length of one thigh, and back up the other. He pushed her legs apart and made circles with his fingertip on the inside of her thigh, moving closer to where she wanted to feel him the most.

She felt them brush lightly against her folds, and she involuntarily bucked her hips off the bed. The touch was so light, it was almost like a whisper across her skin. She waited for him to do it again.

Edward didn't disappoint. His fingers returned, but this time they fell into the moisture of her body and Edward ran his fingers up and down her slit, learning her every crease and fold.

Bella was breathing hard and pressing against the hand that was learning her so intimately.

Edward moved so that he was lying on the bed next to her. His fingers continued to dance and play while Edward moved in to kiss her. His kisses were sweet and gentle, just like his fingers. She felt him circle her opening, and she held her breath.

"Shhh..." he whispered. "Relax."

Bella let out her lungs and let all her muscles loosen. She felt Edward's long finger enter her, slowly, bit by bit. She stared into his eyes and bit her lip. She panted while he worked first one finger, then two fingers, in and out of her. The pumping motion of his hand was joined by the sound of her slick moisture sucking him back in.

She whispered his name.

"Look," he said. "Watch my hand."

Bella leaned up a bit and watched his hand, the way it curled around her sex protectively. His fingers thrust in and out repeatedly and Bella groaned at the sight.

"I want to taste you now," he told her as he slid down her body. He removed his hand and she felt his hot breath blow across her wet skin. He parted her folds and Bella held her breath. She didn't quite know what to expect anymore.

The rasp of his tongue was a surprise. She'd known what he was about to do, but the feeling was unexpected nonetheless. She cried out his name and bucked up into his face. If Bella had been completely coherent, this wantonness might have embarrassed her. But since she was in the throws of passion, caused by Edward, she just didn't care.

He licked her. He licked her. He started at her entrance and used his tongue like she was a popsicle. She must have been the greatest popsicle in existence because he kept coming back for more. The most curious thing happened to her though. She noticed that when he reached the top, he would swirl his tongue around, and that was the most pleasurable experience of all.

She groaned and tried to grab his hair the third time he did it. She wanted to hold him in place and rub against him. Edward grasped her hips even tighter and pulled her body closer to his mouth. He seemed to be mumbling something against her sex and she sat up a little to see what he was about.

The vision that met her was the most glorious sight she'd ever encountered. Edward was kneeling on the bed between her thighs, his mouth buried in her sex. He looked up when he felt her shift, and looked deep into her eyes. Holding her gaze, he took his tongue and took one long lick. The combination of watching him do that and feeling the rasp of his tongue on her most sensitive area made her buck her hips again. This time she couldn't stop. She kept moving her hips up and down off the bed, in time to the feel of his licking tongue.

She moaned and didn't stop wiggling until Edward held her hips back down to the bed again. The licking stopped and Bella looked down to see what the problem was.

Edward's tongue was poised again, but instead of one big long lick, he swirled it around the apex again, against the nub there that seemed to be throbbing and swollen.

Bella grabbed hold of the sheets and pulled. He was killing her. The feeling he caused within her body could only be described as exquisite torture. His tongue continued to assault her nub and Bella had the sudden feeling that he was building to something much larger than what she'd already experienced. She wasn't sure that she could take any more pleasure.

Edward slipped two fingers back inside of her and curled them in, hard. The combination of his tongue and his fingers created a feeling beyond words. Bella pushed against his face and rode his tongue, the pressure building and building until she couldn't take it anymore.

She climaxed, for the first time ever, with Edward's mouth at her clit, his fingers inside of her, head thrown back, and back arched. She bucked her hips wildly against his mouth and hand until the waves had finished crashing over her body.

Edward removed his fingers but continued to lick at her folds, gently this time. Bella collapsed back onto his bed, completely spent. She felt boneless. She gasped for air, trying to calm the frantic pace of her beating heart.

Edward slithered up her body and kissed her lips. She was surprised to taste herself there, and a little embarrassed. She hoped he hadn't minded what he'd just done.

Edward moved to her neck and found her favorite spot. Unbelievably, Bella felt another flare of desire rush through her. She groaned and reached for him, running her hands along his back.

He turned away and Bella moaned in protest.

"I'm just getting a condom," he told her. Bella's vagina clenched at what was surely to follow.

"I'm on the pill," she whispered to him. She'd never needed to tell a man that fact before.

Edward turned back to her and arched an eyebrow.

"Cramps," Bella told him, embarrassed about having to explain it to him.

Edward held up a small foil packet. "Do you want me to use one anyway?"

Bella shook her head. It may have been safer to use extra protection, but she just wanted him.

Edward placed the condom back in his drawer and rolled back across the bed to where she lay. He stretched up on his arms and leaned his head down to kiss her some more. Bella wrapped her arms around his neck to tug him closer. She was ready. She wanted to feel him inside of her. She wanted to get as close to him as possible. He'd already given her pleasure beyond anything that she'd known existed. She was ready to share this next part with him.

Edward climbed on top of her and nudged her legs apart with his knee. He situated himself between her legs, and reached down to stroke her folds again.

"Bella, I'm afraid this may hurt you," he told her quietly.

Bella stared at him with wide eyes. She'd seen his penis. He was rather large. She was trying not to let that worry her. But, she wasn't going to let a little something like that stop them. "Edward, please. I need to feel you. Inside of me."

Edward nodded and she felt his hands fumble against her sex. She next felt the very tip of his penis rub against her folds, coating him in some of her juices in the process no doubt. He placed himself at the edge of her entrance and very slowly pushed in with his hips.

It was too slow. She could feel him stretching her and it didn't feel that great. It didn't hurt, but Bella thought there must be a better way.

"Edward, please," she told him, "All the way. Just push in all the way."

Staring into her eyes, Edward did just that. With one long stroke, he was seated deep inside, stretching her in impossible ways.

"Are you ok?" He brought his fingers to her face and tenderly stroked her cheek.

Bella nodded and tried to relax. Edward held still while she adjusted to his invasion.

Bella wiggled her butt against the sheets a little, exploring a better position, which earned her a load groan from Edward.

She shifted her legs next, and brought her knees up against Edward's hips. She felt him sink in even further, but this time it didn't hurt. No, it actually felt good. She felt full and deliciously turned on all over again. Bella bucked her hips a little, and apparently she reached the end of Edward's restraint.

With a loud growl, Edward's hips started pistoning. He plunged in and out of her core, stroking harder and harder. Bella wrapped her arms around his back and held on.

The feeling of him pressing and pushing against her sex was intense. Bella pushed back, when she could, and felt her own pressure start to build again.

She whimpered and looked wildly into Edward's face. His jaw was clenched and he stared down at her as if he were conquering her very soul.

She felt his hand squeeze into between their pulsating bodies and rub against the nub that he'd just recently attended to with his tongue. Bella gasped and pushed back even harder, trying to recapture that same feeling. She felt the pressure build and build, and sat up a little, bearing down against his thrusts.

The new angle was like magic. Bella exploded in Edward's arms, calling out his name loudly. She felt as if she was adrift at sea, and he was her lifeline. Moments later, she felt him twitch inside of her and jets of liquid shoot out into her body.

They crashed back down to earth, together, holding each other tightly. Edward pulled the sheets up over the slickened bodies and wrapped himself protectively around Bella. She sighed into his chest and promptly fell asleep.

***

Edward woke several hours later, and he was impossibly hard yet again. He thought he'd spent himself completely, but apparently his body had found a reason to rise to the occasion in his sleep. He was pressed comfortably against Bella's backside. He smiled, even in his half-awake state, and ground his hips gently against her ass.

Bella sighed and wiggled even deeper into his arms, but she did not wake.

It was probably better that way. She was probably sore. He didn't want to take her again until she had rested up some.

Fucking hell, the sex had been good. No, good wasn't enough. Spectacular. Phenomenal. Earth-shattering. Those words came closer to describing what the experience had been like, but still not good enough.

Bella was so many things. She was sweet. She was bold. She was sexy. She was shy. She was inexperienced: he could tell just from the look of surprise on her face when she'd come all over his tongue. Yet, she had an innate connection to her body that would put someone less in touch with their emotional side to shame. Bella knew how to move her body, and it didn't come from sleeping with scores of men, which Edward was more than happy about. She just seemed to feel what was right in the moment and she did it. Boy, did she do it.

Edward sighed into her hair and cuddled closer to her naked body. His hand skimmed over her belly button and up over her ribs, but he stopped before he reached her breast. Edward didn't want to take advantage while she was asleep. The weight of her breast pressed down onto the back of his hand, and he could feel the rise and fall of her lungs. He moved his head down to her shoulder and skimmed his nose against the skin there. She still didn't stir.

Edward was still trying to convince himself that he needed to leave her alone. She was tired. She needed the sleep. He needed to feel her breast in his hand. He slowly cupped her right breast and smiled at the feel of it in his palm. She fit his hands so perfectly.

Bella sighed again and then whispered his name. Edward leaned down to peer into her face, secretly hoping that she was awake, but her eyes were closed. He smirked in confidence. She was dreaming about him. That was almost as good as being awake enough for him to take her again. Edward fell back asleep, still holding her breast.

He woke again right before dawn. The sun's rays had yet to crest over the landscape, but the sky was a pale gray color. His hand had shifted during the night, and it was now grasping Bella's mound instead of her breast. Not that he minded the change. His erection was still pressed against her ass, and he ground into her again, moaning loudly this time.

He needed some relief, but wasn't willing to hurt Bella in order to achieve some satisfaction. He rolled onto his back, releasing his hold on her body.

"Where are you going?" Bella was, apparently, awake after all. She rolled onto her other side so that she now faced him.

She was beautiful first thing in the morning. Her hair was a halo of curls and sin. Her lips were swollen, and she had a slight case of beard burn on her chin. That was his fault. He would have to be more careful with her delicate skin in the future. He reached a hand out to caress away the scrape.

"No where. Just trying to give you some space." He'd been crowding her all night. Plus, he didn't want her to think that he expected anything this morning. Just because they were both naked and his body was willing.

"I don't want any space," she told him, driving away all his good intentions.

He tried one last time to give her a way out. "You must be sore."

Bella shook her head, smiling at him the whole time.

"Then come here, woman." He dragged her body on top of his, and Bella squealed at his display of raw masculinity, or so Edward liked to think.

"Mr. Cullen, do you have something you wish to share with the class this morning?" She giggled as she settled against his chest. He liked the sight of her breasts smushed together against him. He liked the way her tight nipples felt poking into his chest too.

"No ma'am. But I do have something that I need to share with you privately."

"Mr. Cullen, I'm all ears." Edward craned his neck and Bella met him halfway. He kissed her thoroughly and pulled away when he heard those cute little noises she liked to make in the back of her throat.

He pressed his hips up against hers. "I have a need that's not being addressed, Ms. Swan."

"Hmm...I can feel that you do. Is it something that I can help you with?"

"Please do." Edward cocked his eyebrow and waited to see exactly how she planned to help him.

He should have known better than to leave it entirely up to his sexy little teacher.

She smiled and slithered down his body, stopping only to kiss the mole he had right above his belly button.

She kneeled at his feet and pushed his legs apart, settling in the space they created. He watched as she licked her lips and hesitantly reached her hand towards his dick. As impossible as it seemed, he swelled even larger at just the thought of her hands on him. Her small, warm hand finally wrapped around his length and Edward moaned in part triumph, and part surrender.

She trailed her fingers up his length and touched the head gently. Her light touches were killing him. He decided that she wouldn't mind a little instruction.

"Wrap your hand around it, hard. Like this." Edward reached his own hand down and wrapped it around hers. He showed her how to stroke the length, pulling hardest at the base before working her way up. He let his hand go and fell back to the pillows. She was a quick learner, and Edward felt his orgasm nearing quickly.

He nearly exploded in her face when she leaned down and licked the bead of pre-cum off the tip.

"Ahhhh..." he said, unable to form words.

Bella had no such problems.

"Did that feel good? I've been wondering what you taste like. I think I'd like to try something else now too." She removed her hand and replaced it with her tongue.

Edward panted from the amount of restraint he used not to shove his whole dick into her mouth and come immediately. He was willing to give her time to explore, but he wasn't going to last much longer.

After several long licks, she took his length into her mouth, at least as much as she could fit. She sucked and pulled on him, as if she was trying to suck his orgasm right out of him.

He felt his balls tighten and knew that he was close. "Bella, baby, not like this."

Her mouth released him with a pop and she stared into his eyes. Without saying a word, she knew exactly what he wanted. She climbed back up his body and planted her knees on the bed, on either side of his hips. She leaned forward a little and Edward sucked on one of the nipples that dangled enticingly in his face. Bella gasped and froze for a moment.

Edward released her breast and placed his hands on her hips. She adjusted her hips until he felt her damp heat rubbing against his dick.

Edward whispered her name and tightened his hold on her hips, resisting the urge to slam her down onto his aching dick.

He hoped she would do that herself.

Just as he'd thought, Bella knew what to do instinctively. She stared into his eyes with a look of extreme concentration on her face. With one push of her hips, she surrounded him with her tight heat all the way to the hilt.

Edward groaned and bucked his own hips up, grinding into her, trying to go impossibly deeper.

"Edward..." Bella panted, while beginning to move her hips along his length. "I feel so much of you this way."

He'd lost his own ability to form words a while ago. He only grunted and concentrated on her face and the feel of her body against his. Only, Bella wasn't done talking to him.

"I can feel your hairs brushing against me. Your thighs pressing up against my ass."

That got Edward's attention. Bella rarely cursed - and she'd just said ass. Did she like to talk dirty?

"I like the way your tits wiggle when you're bouncing on my cock," he told her, trying to reciprocate. He'd never been one for conversation during the act, but he was willing to try it with Bella.

Bella gasped and ground down against him even harder. Huh - she seemed to be even more turned on now.

"I can feel your tight pussy all around me. Grabbing and sucking me in deeper and deeper."

"Oh, God, Edward," Bella cried, grabbing onto his chest hairs, of all things, and riding him even harder. She was frantic now in her movements.

Edward shifted his hips slightly, for a different angle. He could tell that she was close, and he was going to be right behind her.

"Best of all, Bella, I like the way you come. You shot juice out at me last night, baby. Squeezed my dick until I thought it was going to come off. Do it again, Bella."

With a loud cry, Bella did just that. She flung her head back and rode his length as if it was her only connection to the Earth. Edward felt his own release crest, so he held her tight against his body while he pumped into her a few more times, crying out his own shouts of pleasure and riding out the after affects of hers.

Bella collapsed on top of his body, and Edward gently slipped out of her. He held her close to his chest, not ready to let go yet. He was still breathing hard, trying to come down from his high.

"That was fun," she told him moments later.

Edward laughed out loud. She never failed to amaze him. He pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head.

They lay in bed for a while longer, just talking and touching. They couldn't keep their hands off each other. These touches weren't meant to arouse. These were touches just to connect. It was almost necessary now, to be joined in some way. Skin to skin, or finger to finger, or nose to nose. It didn't matter what body part matched up, so long as their bond didn't break.

Edward liked that he didn't feel like he had to ask permission anymore to touch her. He could run his hand over her generous hip. He could cup her elbows, and run his fingers along the smooth skin of her arms. He could dance his fingers up and down her back. He never wanted to stop, actually. He could have lain in his bed with Bella for all eternity and probably found some area on her body to explore for every minute of every day. She was that fascinating.

Reality has a funny way of intruding upon such a dreamscape. It was still early in the morning, on a Saturday no less, but it didn't stop the neighbors from doing things like raking their leaves, running their leaf-blowers, or gassing up their lawn mowers for that final cut of the season.

It was difficult to retain their bubble of perfection with such intrusions. Edward finally flopped onto his back and groaned, covering his eyes with one hand.

"If only I lived on an island..." he muttered, pondering the possibilities.

"You'd be a very lonely man," Bella told him, before hopping out of bed. "I'm going to take a shower."

Edward smirked at her and started to climb out of bed. A shower sounded like a good plan to him too.

"And no, you can't join me." Bella laughed at him and scurried into his bathroom, shutting the door behind her with a stark finality.

There went his short term plans. Edward went through his drawers and dug out a pair of old sweat pants and a t-shirt for Bella to wear. All she had was her dress from the night before, and he couldn't imagine her putting that back on after her shower. He quickly shrugged into some clothes of his own and went downstairs to scrounge up some breakfast.

His kitchen was depressingly empty. He rarely went to the grocery store. It was going to be difficult to impress Bella with his breakfasting skills without any supplies. He was weighing the pros and cons of taking a quick trip to the store versus just taking Bella out for breakfast when the woman in question appeared in his kitchen.

She looked to be about 17 years old now, without any makeup and her hair piled on top of her head, still damp from the shower. Edward was very glad that he was positive of her actual age.

"You found the clothes," he told her, breakfast momentarily forgotten as he stalked across the kitchen to pull her in his arms.

"I did. Thank you. I was worried that I would have to do the walk of shame."

"You will never, ever, have anything to be shameful about in my presence, Bella Swan." He leaned down and kissed her mouth gently.

"Thank you," she whispered after he pulled away from her lips.

"I was going to wow you with my kitchen skills this morning, but I don't have any food to serve you. We could go to the store and pick up supplies, or there's a diner right down the street..." Edward wasn't ready to let her go quite yet. He knew that she would have to go back to her apartment at some point, but they had all day together. Edward had several ideas in his head of ways to spend the time, together.

"Actually, I need to get home soon. I promised Alice that I would help her with some research today."

Edward frowned in disappointment. He'd had such good plans too...

"Ok, but I don't want to let you go without at least feeding you first."

"You already gave me something to nibble on this morning, Edward." She blushed and looked into his eyes for a brief moment, before quickly looking away again.

Edward barked out a laugh. Sexual innuendo was not something he expected to ever hear from Bella. Though, after discovering that she didn't mind a little dirty talk, he was coming to the realization that he still had a lot to learn about her.

"I can't argue with that assessment. Come on, we'll pick something up on the way to your place."

Edward ended up running into the diner and grabbing a couple danishes to go. He cringed when Bella ate hers in his car, dropping crumbs on the floor, but he was still in the afterglow of great sex. He would vacuum her out when he got back home.

Back at her apartment, he assaulted her mouth for several minutes before allowing her to leave the car. She stumbled out, clutching the bag holding her dress, and waved her fingers to him as she headed into her building.

Edward sat in the parking lot even after she'd disappeared into her building, staring at the space she'd just occupied. He had a sense of dread, as if something was not where it was supposed to be. Like his wallet or his keys. It left a burning in his gut that he didn't like. Edward pulled away from Bella's, still feeling like something was missing. All he could do was shrug and go about his day. Give it time. He'd figure it out sooner or later.


	18. Chapter 18

As always, I own nothing Twilight. It all belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

Bella was in the middle of her second orgasm of the day. The first had occurred almost exactly 12 hours earlier, when she'd returned from her morning workout with Jessica. Edward had been waiting outside her apartment, with an apologetic look on his face. She hadn't been able to figure out what he could possibly be sorry for until after she'd locked her door behind them and Edward had pressed her up against the wall.

"I think we're going to be late for school," he'd told her right before he'd slammed his mouth down onto hers. The sex had been explosive. He'd stripped them both bare, not seeming to care that she was sweaty from her workout, and been inside of her within minutes. She'd wrapped her legs around his waist and barely felt the bruising blow to the back of her head when he'd slammed her into the wall again. His thrusts were strong and quick, pushing her up the wall while she'd frantically clawed at his back.

Edward had been slightly out of control, and Bella had loved it. She felt like she'd been at his mercy, a receptacle for his lust and rutting, entombed in his arms and surrounded by his body. But then he'd slowed the tempo of hips, just for a moment, and kissed along her collar bone until he reached the small indent at the base of her throat. He'd groaned her name then, and she felt the heat of his mouth against her skin like the curling tendrils of a fire. He'd chanted her name for several moments longer while he came inside of her.

They'd both collapsed to the floor after his legs seemingly gave out. Bella lay panting, half trapped under his body, wondering what on earth had just been unleashed. Edward groaned again and sat up. Bella almost expected him to stand up, replace his clothing and disappear as quickly as he'd arrived.

Instead, he'd spread Bella's knees and moved his wide shoulders in between.

Bella looked down the length of her body to his face. She was naked and spread out on her living room floor, with the sexiest man alive moments away from exercising his oral privileges upon her person. Was this really her life now?

The answer was a resounding yes when Edward placed his mouth to her sex. He went right for her clit this time, being very clear with his intentions. Her own orgasm followed quickly, thanks in no small part to Edward's quick tongue and fingers.

After she finished calling out his name, Edward pulled her body against his own and smoothed his fingers against her hair.

"Bella, baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to attack you. I woke up this morning, and all I could think about was you. Your smell. Your taste. The sounds you make when you come."

Bella didn't know whether to squeal over being on his mind first thing or be worried about exactly what types of sounds she made. She did have neighbors…

"Edward, you can surprise me like this any time you want." She'd rolled over and kissed his lips, and they'd remained like that until Bella realized that she was, indeed, going to be late for work.

School that day had been crazy. It was now Wednesday, which meant another staff meeting. Another chance for Emmett to get worked up over the newspaper. Another practice session for Edward's band. Another round of hot sex in Edward's car.

Actually, the car sex was the only thing not usual about her Wednesday. She'd had sex once before in a car, but the current experience was about to erase that awful memory from her mind forever.

Edward had picked her up from Alice's after practice, even though she'd told him that Jasper would take her home after dinner. He's seemed pumped up from rehearsal, which worked completely in her favor.

It seemed that music really, really turned Edward on. Playing music got him so juiced that he'd pulled off into one of the boat ramp areas for the lake, shut off the engine and pulled Bella into his lap before the car lights had even shut off.

That position had been less than comfortable for Bella, so he'd pulled them both into the backseat instead.

"Edward," she'd whispered only moments earlier, "We both have beds at home. Wouldn't that be more comfortable?"

Edward had only grunted and shoved his hand up her skirt, pushing her panties aside and slipping his finger into her welcoming heat. She was already wet, which seemed to be her perpetual state around Edward. There had been some fumbling while he unzipped his pants and Bella had worked her panties off. After some minor adjustments of knee and ass placement, he'd finally plunged her down onto his waiting erection. They'd both sighed at the joining.

Edward had kissed along her neck and told her how much he'd missed her.

"I just saw you a few hours ago," she reminded him while his thrusts became deeper and harder.

"Doesn't matter," he'd told her. "I miss you whenever you're not near." Then he'd moved his right hand from her butt and reached around to rub her clit. She'd still been swollen from that morning's encounter, which only created a different sensation.

The pleasure this time had almost bordered on pain. It took longer to reach her peak, but Edward was right there with her. Which brought Bella to her second orgasm in 12 hours. This time with Edward's dick planted firmly in her tightness. She could feel her contractions this time gripping him, sucking along his length.

Bella collapsed onto his shoulder when it was over, trying to catch her breath yet again.

She turned her head and planted a kiss on his neck.

"Is it always going to be like this?" Even now, she could feel him hardening inside of her again. She wiggled her hips a little, surprised that he could get hard again so soon.

"God, Bella, I hope so." Edward stared into her eyes this time, as she rode out his third erection of the day.

Her third orgasm soon followed.

***

Friday night brought girls' night out. Edward and Emmett had a board meeting to attend. Esme was babysitting George, which left Rosalie free to join Bella, Alice, Angela and Jessica for drinks at a restaurant near Rose's house.

This establishment was a far cry from the dive that Benjamin had taken Bella to just a few short weeks ago. It was an upscale micro-brewery that the paper had raved about.

The restaurant was pretty crowded. The newspaper's review seemed to have produced a sizable crowd, which meant a wait for a table. Bella admired the interior while the girls chatted about their week. The walls were red brick, and one entire wall of the waiting area was glass. Three large vats sat inside the glassed-in area, which Bella could only assume was part of the beer-making process. The other customers all seemed to be professionals in their twenties and thirties. It was after 9, so there weren't that many families still waiting for a table.

They were perusing the menu, discussing which beer samplers looked the best, when Bella heard her name being called above the dull roar of the crowd.

She turned and found a teammate from her Scrabble club.

"Hi Josh!" He leaned in and gave her a quick hug. Since Bella had only made it to a few Scrabble Club meetings so far, she didn't know that much about Josh. He was a little older, maybe mid-thirties, average height, brown hair with a small bald spot on the crown of his head that he hid most of the time underneath a baseball cap. He was a great Scrabble player, and Bella enjoyed playing against him.

Bella introduced him to the other girls, but was surprised at the expression on Alice's face. She looked really unhappy, as if Bella had done something wrong.

Bella mouthed "What?" to her, but Alice shook her head and mouthed back "Later."

Bella frowned back at Alice before turning back to talk to Josh.

Josh's table was soon ready, and he walked away with a pretty blonde girl that Bella did not know.

"Alright, Alice, what's wrong?"

"How do you know him?"

"I told you – he's in the Scrabble club."

"Ok. But has he told you what he does for a living?"

Bella thought back to the past two weeks. She couldn't recall any conversations about either of their jobs.

"No, I don't think I do." Bella looked at the faces of her other friends, hoping for some insight into Alice's strange line of questioning. They looked as clueless as Bella felt.

"He works for the Register. You know, the paper that covered Edward's 'incident' like it was the O.J. Trial of Chicago."

Bella cringed. Edward had mentioned that he'd been hounded by reporters. He'd seemed almost more upset about that than any of the rest of stuff that Tanya had put him through.

"Well, I don't think he's made any connection between me and Edward, if that's what you're wondering…" Bella still didn't see what the big deal was.

"The same paper that sent a reporter into the school, undercover, last year, snooping through the employment files and trying to stir up trouble again."

"Well, I don't think that Joshua had anything to do with that…"

Alice spoke a little louder now, enunciating each and every word. "The same newspaper that keeps printing quotes from 'unnamed sources' about the school's affairs."

Bella snapped her lips shut. She knew where this was headed now. A look at the other girls' faces revealed that they'd figured it out too.

"You think I'm the leak," she replied tersely. Bella was mad now. How could Alice think something like that?

"Don't be daft," Rosalie spoke up. "We don't think you're the leak. We are concerned about any friendship you may have brewing with this man though. I'd hate to see you get hurt if and when he discovers who your boyfriend is." Rosalie was not known for her tact. She always went straight for the jugular.

"I would hardly call what I have with Joshua a 'friendship.' I've spoken to him maybe on two occasions, and both times were about the game we were playing. I don't know how my job, his job, or Edward would ever come up."

Jessica cleared her throat and said, "Bella, that just seems like the normal course of conversation to me. What else would you talk about with a virtual stranger besides your job and maybe if you were married or single? It's not like those are state secrets or anything."

"Could have fooled me," Bella muttered under her breath. She shot Alice another angry glance. She didn't like her very much at that moment.

"We don't want to see your position abused. He could very well end up using you for dirt on Edward, the school, or anything else that he would deem newsworthy."

Bella wasn't used to thinking about people as having hidden agendas. People who would do something like that generally didn't exist in Forks. Not that she'd known about anyway.

"I don't think Josh is like that. He's nice, easy to talk to. He talks more about his mom than anything else. She has Alzheimer's and he just had to put her in a home…"

Alice huffed and stomped her foot. "I just want you to be careful, ok? This man could be dangerous. Just, watch yourself around him. Please." Alice added the "please" onto the end like it was painful to do so.

"Fine." Bella turned her back and tried to read over the menu again. The entire night had just gone south and she wasn't feeling very festive anymore.

Dinner was a strained affair. Bella sampled all the beers, even though she didn't like any of them. Conversation only existed because Rosalie, Jessica, and Angela kept it going. Bella and Alice were not on speaking terms.

The ride home was even worse. They were all crammed into Alice's SUV and no one felt like talking at that point. Bella refused to look at Alice, keeping her head turned and looking out the window the entire ride home.

Alice dropped Bella off last, and it was reluctantly even then. She had tried to get her to just spend the night on her couch, but Bella wasn't in the mood.

Alice didn't seem to be in the mood to let her go home angry though.

"I'm sorry," she said again, while her car idled in front of Bella's building. "I should have handled that better. I don't think you're the leak or naive enough to be used like that. I just don't want to see you get hurt, Bella. You're like a sister to me now."

"Alice, how could you think that I would do something like that? I would never confide in some stranger about Edward or the school, or you, or Jasper, or anyone else who's important to me."

"I know, I know. I just got scared, ok? I saw that guy, and I recognized him from his headshot, and then he came over and acted like you guys were best friends. I get a little irrational when I'm scared, Bella. Please forgive me."

Bella pulled her eyes off her lap and stared at Alice. She felt like they were sisters too. Maybe that's why the anger in Alice's eyes had hurt so much.

"Of course I forgive you. I love you Alice."

She leaned across the console and closed her arms around Alice's tiny shoulders. There wasn't anything she wouldn't do for Alice. Forgiving her for a silly misunderstanding was easy.

Alice rubbed her back and pulled her arms out of Bella's iron grip.

"Love you too. You should go in and get some rest. You never know when Edward's going to want to give you three orgasms in one day again."

Bella blushed in the darkness of car. "Alice…" she murmured, embarrassed that Alice had brought that up. Bella didn't want to remember that she'd told her about that at all. She'd just been so surprised that it was even possible, and she'd needed a girl's opinion on it.

Alice laughed. She could sense Bella's discomfort even in the dark. "It's ok. I won't tell anyone else. Just let me know if he ever goes for five. I'll never forget the day that Jasper decided..."

Bella cut her off, "Good night Alice." She shut the door and could still hear the laughter through the car door.

Bella went to bed that night with thoughts of Edward, Alice, and newspaper reporters on her brain. Most of all, she just wished that she was lying in Edward's arms. She'd grown used to falling asleep surrounded by his arms and the heat of his body. His soft snores had kept her awake at first, but now they were reassuring signs that she wasn't alone.

Bella felt an ache in her chest, where that curious sparky feeling had started just a few weeks ago. Bella had fallen in love with Edward. She sighed into her pillow, clutching it to her cheek, and wishing that it was Edward instead.

***

The time had come for Bella to tell her dad about Edward. She just didn't know how to bring it up. This was just another in a long line of firsts for her. First orgasm. First stayover at a man's house. First boyfriend, truthfully. The first two she wouldn't share with her dad. Bella laughed out loud at how that conversation would go.

"So, Dad, I'm seeing this terrific man. He gives me orgasm after orgasm and then we fall asleep wrapped in each other's arms. Did I mention the size of his cock?"

No, that conversation was not ever going to happen.

However, she did need to mention that she was involved with someone. She thought her dad would be happy for her, but it would be hard to tell over the phone. Without being able to see his face, the way his eyes narrowed or the crinkling of his nose, she would be hard pressed to judge his actual mood. Charlie, on occasion, said one thing but meant something else entirely.

Bella was left hoping that this would be one time where he just meant what he was saying.

It was the weekend, Edward was practicing again, so it was now or never. She'd already put it off for two days and the grinding in her gut had become more than she could take. She knew that she would feel better once the conversation was over, but like most things, it was difficult to get over the initial hump and just do it.

She pressed Charlie's speed dial number and took a deep breath before she could chicken out.

The phone rang once. The hollow echo in her ear made her want to puke. It rang again, and a small spark of hope ignited. Maybe he wasn't home. The third ring convinced Bella that she would just have to call back some other time and she could go back to pretending…

"Hello," her dad answered.

Damn.

"Hi Daddy!" She replied with an overabundance of enthusiasm. Since she had to ditch her original plan of avoidance, maybe she could butter him up with goodness instead.

"Heya, Bells! How's my little girl doing?"

Awesome, dad. I'm sleeping with one of my co-workers now though, so I'm not quite your little girl anymore.

"I'm good," she said instead. "Are you ready for your big fishing trip?" Bella, herself, still had no plans for Thanksgiving. She fully expected an invite from Alice or the Cullens; however she hadn't exactly mentioned to anyone else that she would be alone for Turkey day. Another conversation she'd been putting off.

"I am. I went to Newton's just yesterday and picked up a new rod. That boy was in there, the one you went to prom with."

"Mike Newton." Bella rolled her eyes, glad that her dad wasn't there to see it. Charlie had been partial to Mike, for some strange reason.

"Yep. Anyway, he said to tell you hello, and that he's looking forward to seeing you at Christmas. You should stop by and see him when you come home. I know he's not dating anyone right now. Just saw his mother last week and she told me…"

"Dad, I'm seeing someone," Bella practically yelled into the phone. She immediately cringed back, as if her dad could reach through with his hand and grab hold.

"What did you say?" Her dad said the words slowly, as if he hadn't heard them right the first time.

Bella coughed. "I'm dating someone. His name's Edward Cullen. We work together."

"Cullen…as in the name of the school you work for…that kind of Cullen?"

Bella nodded her head, not wanting to answer out loud. Her dad was a little old-fashioned. This particular point could be sticky. She realized after he remained silent that he wasn't going to be able to see her bobbing head.

"Yes, his parents started the school but Edward's role…"

"Bella, do you really think it's a good idea to get involved with your employer? That smacks of sexual harassment in my book. If he's been pressuring you to go out with him in order to keep your job…"

"Dad, Edward's not like that. He's the music teacher. He's smart, and talented, and thoughtful, and considerate," and good with his hands and his mouth, and when he wakes up, he stretches his body so deliciously…

"I just don't think it's a good idea to mix business with plea-, I mean not business. What happens when you break up and he wants you gone from the school? Who do you think they're going to listen to? The founder's son or some English teacher?"

"Why do you think we're going to break up?" Bella was bordering on angry, with a hint of hurt. This was not exactly how she'd imagined this conversation. She'd thought he would be more upset that she was dating anyone period, not that she was dating someone who could potentially abuse their position to make her life hell.

"Bells, I don't know anything about this…man…I just want you to think through every possibility. Bella – tell me – is this serious?"

Bella took a deep breath. That was a very good question. As far as she was concerned, it was serious. She thought about Edward almost all the time. She wanted to spend all her time with him. When something funny or sad happened in class, he was the first person she wanted to share it with. She couldn't imagine a time in her life when she wouldn't want Edward to be a part of it.

"I think so, Dad," she finally admitted to her father. She and Edward hadn't discussed the seriousness of their relationship, but she felt as if he was on the same page. The smiles he used to save just for his music spread across his face whenever she was near. The passion they shared when they made love made its mark upon Bella's soul, each every time. She could see it in Edward's eyes too. His eyes were incredibly expressive and deep, but she could see that he was there with her each and every moment. She'd made her mark on him just as much as he'd marked himself on her.

Silence rang in her ears, much like the hollow echo of the phone's ring had done earlier. Bella and her dad weren't known for their heart to hearts. They were too much alike, which made it difficult to express to one another their innermost feelings. But Bella had just shared something deeply personal and profound with Charlie, and she needed a response. To anyone else, the silence might have meant bad news was brewing. But Bella knew her dad better than that: he was just taking the time to choose his words carefully. Because that's what you did when you had something really important to say.

"Well then, Bella, I suppose I'm going to need to meet your young man here soon. You should bring him home for Christmas."

Bella's mouth dropped open. This was not quite the response she had expected.

"You want me to bring Edward home with me?"

"That's the sensible thing to do. It'll give me time to get to know him, make sure he's good enough for you. Show him my gun collection. You know – the usual."

Actually, Bella didn't know the usual since she'd never brought a boy, let alone a man, home to meet her father.

"Ok, Dad," Bella sniffed into the phone. Her emotions were on the verge of boiling over. She suddenly wanted nothing more than the two most important men in her life to meet, face to face. She had a vision in her head of Edward shaking her dad's hand, pretending to admire his collection of handguns and shotguns while he shot her looks filled with confusion and fear. They could set up a cot in her dad's den for him, and Bella would sneak down there at night so they could fool around while her father slept above them, blissfully ignorant. She could show him around Forks, take him to all her favorite places. They would decorate the Christmas tree together, using the decorations she and Charlie had collected over the years. She'd make sugar cookies while Edward picked at the ones that were just barely cooked, and she'd smack his hands away. And mistletoe. She would hang mistletoe in every room of her dad's tiny house, so she would have every excuse in the world to kiss Edward. "That's a good idea."

"Alrighty then." Her dad blew out a giant breath. "I knew this would happen someday, Bells, but I've got to tell you. I wasn't as prepared for it as I thought I would be."

"It'll be ok, Daddy." Bella in many ways still felt like the child that Charlie had raised, all by himself, the best way that he knew how. He would always be her dad, the first man that she loved. There was just going to be another man to stand along side him now.

"I know Bells. Well, Billy's truck just pulled up outside, so I'd better go. I'll talk to you soon. Let me know once you've made travel plans for Christmas."

"Ok, Dad. I love you."

"Love you too Bells."

Bella snapped her phone shut. She felt like her heart had grown too large for her chest after the conversation with her dad. Like she didn't have enough room for both of the men in her life. But she knew that she did. She brushed away the tears that leaked out and went to her bedroom to get ready for her date with Edward.

***

The time leading up to Edward's big gig continued on as Bella had always wanted her life to be. The life she had finally begun to imagine without Jacob in it anyway.

She and Alice had moved past their argument over Joshua. If anything, they were closer because of it. The football season had ended, so Jasper was around a lot more now that he suddenly had his evenings and Friday nights free. That worked out well for everyone since Bella spent as much time with Edward as possible. She felt bad about abandoning Alice, but Alice was too busy reaping the benefits of having a virile husband suddenly available to take too much notice of the diminished time they spent together.

Bella had parent/teacher conferences looming right before the holiday, which was completely nerve-wracking. Parents made her sweat so much that she'd begun bringing an extra shirt to school with her everyday.

Jessica had disappeared for a week, and returned with the happy news that Marcus had whisked her away to Canada for skiing and "naked Olympics." Bella absorbed every detail of Marcus' physique and prowess in the bedroom with a forced smile on her face. Jessica had taken to using their workouts as an opportunity to share every moment of their vacation together. Just the sordid details, of course. Most of it made Bella blush, but some of the things that Jessica talked about filled her head with a whole range of possibilities. Not that she and Edward had any problems finding ways to pleasure one another, but one of the things that Jessica mentioned was definitely being added to the "try this with Edward" list.

Bella's sore spot in all this happiness and rainbows was Thanksgiving. She didn't know why she was dragging her feet, but she still hadn't mentioned to anyone that she was looking at the "meal deal for one" at Whole Foods as her holiday meal. Maybe it was because she was also a little hurt that no one, not a single friend, nor her boyfriend, had inquired as to her own plans for the holiday.

She knew what they all had planned. Jasper was cooking dinner for his parents and Alice's parents. They were both only children, so it would just be the six of them. It was destined to be a strained affair since their parents only got along in that awkward "I'm only talking to you because our children are married" kind of way. Realistically, the Brandons and the Whitlocks had very little in common. Alice had been moaning for several days over the green bean dish that her mother-in-law was insisting on bringing.

"I swear to God that she cooks the green beans, leaves them out for days to cool, then pickles them. And she serves it cold. It's the most disgusting thing ever, Bella. And she acts like it's the greatest dish ever created. No wonder Jasper was forced to teach himself how to cook."

Bella had cringed in sympathy.

The Cullens were also hosting dinner, but she only knew this because Emmett had mentioned it in passing several days ago.

"I can't wait until Thursday. Mom makes the greatest stuffing. And mashed potatoes. And pumpkin pie." Rosalie had smacked him over the head, clearly insulted that he'd not mentioned her own cooking skills. Of which she admittedly had none. Emmett had hopped up from the kitchen table, where Bella and Edward had been munching on the tacos that Emmett had cooked for dinner that night, and wrapped his wife in a giant hug and picked her up off the floor.

"Your skills lie elsewhere," he's whispered, loud enough for Bella and Edward to hear as well. They'd exchanged a look and laughed.

But, no invitation to join them had been forthcoming for Bella.

It was Angela Weber who finally asked about Bella's plans.

"I usually go to visit my mom, but she went out of town with her husband for the holiday." Out of town, out of the country – same difference.

"So what are you going to do?" Angela asked in her no-nonsense manner. Bella seemed to be surrounded by people who didn't beat around the bush. It was a nice change.

They were eating lunch together at Applebee's, in between parent conferences. Edward's conferences were on a different schedule, or he would have joined them. Bella glanced down at her burger and lost her appetite. That same question had been swirling in her brain and she was embarrassed to admit that she'd done nothing about it yet. And Thanksgiving was two days away.

"I don't know. I saw a sign at Whole Foods about a special they're having…" Bella felt pathetic. Who spent Thanksgiving alone, especially when they had a boyfriend?

"Edward didn't invite you home with him?" Angela's face revealed the same astonishment that Bella felt.

"No." Angela's face darkened in anger for her friend. "But, in his defense I haven't told him that I don't have anywhere to go either. And he's been busy…" He had been busy with his band. Their big gig was that Friday night, and it had been practice, practice, practice for days. And Bella understood. She'd have more time with him as soon as the gig was over, and she was very much looking forward to Saturday, when she planned to keep the two of them locked inside either her bedroom or his all day long.

"That's an awful excuse. I can't believe you haven't talked about your plans. Surely he would realize that you don't have any family here…"

"I may have mentioned, a while ago, that I usually spend the day with my mom. So, maybe he thinks I'm flying out." The words sounded empty to Bella's own ears. When had they stopped communicating? Had their relationship fallen apart so quickly? She hadn't yet mentioned to him coming home for Christmas with her either. They'd both been so busy, and when they were together, they spent much of their time naked. She couldn't remember the last time they'd had a real conversation.

"Oh, God, Ange, we're already growing apart. He's so busy with his music, and I'm all wrapped up in conferences. When did this happen?" Bella pushed her plate away in disgust.

Angela's eyes turned from anger to panic to fierce determination. "Whoa, Bella, calm down. Take a deep breath." She reached across the table and held her hands. "I think you may be overreacting. This is purely normal couple behavior. You're both wrapped up in other things right now, and that's normal. Now, let's think this through."

Bella got her breath under control and nodded her head at Angela. Maybe she was overreacting.

"You still see Edward every day, right?" Bella nodded her head. She'd seen him that morning when he'd come by her room to kiss her hello. Mmmmm….Edward kisses.

"Alright, and you're still, you know, exercising conjugal visits?"

Bella laughed at that, then blushed. "That's one area where there aren't any problems."

"Excellent. And does he act like he doesn't want to spend time with you? Like he'd rather be anywhere else than with you?"

"No…" In fact, he seemed mad every time he pulled away from her arms to rehearse with his band. He always promised to hurry back and try to end practice early.

"Ok. One last question. When was the last time you had a conversation? A real conversation?"

That was the trickiest question of them all. They talked, of course they talked, but it was mostly about mundane things. What time Edward would show up at her apartment. The number of conferences Bella had to suffer through every day.

"It's been a while," she finally admitted. She realized in that moment that she missed just talking to Edward. Their physical relationship seemed to have taken over, leaving little to no time for their emotional connection to continue to grow.

"So, you know what you need to do then, right?" Angela picked a fry off her plate and swirled it in her ketchup.

"I need to talk to him."

"Yep."

Bella's initial embarrassment at the topic of conversation was gone. She was glad she had Angela to talk things through.

Bella was fiercely determined to talk, just talk, to Edward that night.

Edward, of course, had a whole other agenda.

He surprised Bella at her apartment hours earlier than expected.

"We're on dinner break," he whispered into her ear, unbuttoning her top along the way. "I couldn't stay away."

Bella was momentarily stunned by the look in his eyes and the feel of his breath on her skin. No wonder they didn't talk anymore. She was under the influence of a very potent drug called Edward Cullen.

Fortunately, Angela's words rung in her ears just before Edward removed her bra.

"Wait, Edward, stop." She pushed against his shoulders and he immediately moved to the end of her bed. How had they moved into her bedroom so quickly?

"I need to talk to you," she told him as she put her top back on. Edward's eyes narrowed at her movements.

"In general, those are the last words that any man wants to hear." His eyes continued to follow the progress of her fingers, returning the state of her upper half to "fully concealed."

"We just don't seem to talk anymore," she told him, looking into his eyes. She wasn't going to back down just because he was using sad, puppy eyes on her.

"We talk. I told you just this morning how exquisitely beautiful your breasts are."

"Edward." Bella whined. He was going to make this so very difficult. "I mean other than sexy talk."

"Sexy talk? I didn't realize that was what we're calling it. Does that include when you tell me that you like the feel of my dick in your…"

Bella pushed against his chest, embarrassed that he was bringing that up. She couldn't help that he inspired her to speak, quite vehemently, about the effects he had on her person. And exactly what she liked about whatever he was doing to her person. Like she said, he was a drug. An addictive stimulant that should probably be illegal.

"I'm serious. We seem to just be having sex all the time and I feel like we never get to talk."

Edward's eyes impossibly darkened even more, revealing the green pools that meant he was about to say something very, very wicked.

"Make love, Bella. We make love."

Crap – how was she supposed to stay on target when he said something like that?

Bella closed her eyes to shut out the green depths of his soul. He was smoldering at her and she wouldn't be able to resist for much longer. Maybe just a quickie wouldn't be so bad.

"Make love, fine." She kept her eyes closed, not wanting to tempt herself even farther. "My point is, I don't know what's going on with you, and I absolutely know that you don't know what's going on with me."

Bella felt the bed shift and opened her eyes to track Edward's movements. He'd moved up to the top of the bed, and was reclining against her pillows next to where she sat. The smoldering was gone. He looked concerned now, maybe even a little afraid.

"So, tell me what's going on with you." He picked at a piece of imaginary lint on his shirt. He was pretending like her answer didn't matter, but she could tell from his actions that it did. He was afraid that she had something bad to tell him.

"Edward, it's nothing major. I just…we haven't talked about Thanksgiving. I don't have plans, and Emmett mentioned the other day that your parents are having everyone over for dinner, and it made me uncomfortable. You haven't invited me, which is kind of confusing. I thought, you know, since we're together now that we would spend the day together, but you still haven't said anything and it is just two days away." Bella spit it all out as fast as she could, slightly chagrined that she'd made such a big deal out of it at all.

The look of relief on Edward's face was reassuring. He'd clearly been afraid that she was going to talk about something far worse.

He quickly reached over and pulled her into his lap. He stroked her hair and held her head against his chest. Bella could hear the thick thumping of his heart. It was times like this, when all the other pieces of their life melted away, leaving only the two of them in their most elemental state, that Bella cherished the most. It was just her, Edward, and the sound of their beating hearts. She knew, deep down, that as long as those four things remained constant, they would be ok.

Edward's quiet voice broke into the silence of the moment. She could hear the echoes of it through the ear that was pressed to his chest.

"Baby, I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I just assumed that you knew that you were invited. Bella, dearest, sweetest of my heart, will you please come spend Thanksgiving with me and my miserable family? There will be aunts, uncles, and cousins galore to make the experience that much more interesting. And I promise you that my mother will never forgive me if you're not there."

"Ok," Bella muttered against his chest, feeling a twinge of regret for making such a big deal about the whole thing. She could feel his answering laughter shake his chest and bounce her body around a little. Edward kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back.

"Is that all we have to discuss, or are you concerned about how much I'm paying in car insurance? Because I can assure you that Geico has the best deal, they did in fact save me 15% on my car insurance…"

Bella smacked his arm playfully. "Jerk," she muttered against his chest again. It was amazing how right it felt to be in his arms. Like all the troubles in the world had disappeared.

"And you love me anyway," he whispered against her hair.

Time seemed to stop. Bella's heart thudded loudly in her chest for an unknown quantity of time. It could have been a second, or it could have been five minutes. Bella realized that neither of them had moved even a fraction of an inch during that time. They both remained frozen, pressed together on her bed.

Neither of them had mentioned love, yet. But Bella knew that was what she felt. There were no doubts in her mind. She saw it all with clarity: Edward was what had been missing in her life all along.

And now the moment was here. She'd been waiting for him to bring it up first. His whispered caress against her hair counted, in her book anyway.

Bella sat up so she could look into his eyes. They were really one of her favorite things about him.

She didn't like the fear she saw in them again.

"I do love you," she told him now, placing her hand against his cheek and running her thumb across the high ridge of his cheekbone. She laced the fingers of her left hand through his, soaking in the heat and comfort of his large palm.

Edward leaned into the caress and the fear disappeared. It was replaced with contentment and something so much more.

"I love you too," he told her. She'd never heard words more beautiful.

Edward pulled her mouth to his and they remained locked, joined, bonded for several more hours to come.

Edward didn't make it back to band practice that night.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Twilight. It all belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

When Edward finally woke up Thursday morning, the morning of Thanksgiving, he was contentedly wrapped in the overwhelming scent of Bella. She was partially draped across his chest, but sadly not naked. She'd insisted on throwing on his t-shirt the night before, prior to falling asleep but after their love making.

Love. Edward didn't hesitate to use it now. This was the truest thing he'd ever known, his love for Bella. She made him feel like every possibility was open to him. She made him want to take chances and be the better man that he knew he could be. His heart thumped loudly when he thought of her, and his palms got a little sweaty. He was at times equally nervous and content in her presence. She was intoxicating. She was so many things, and only sometimes did he worry that he wouldn't measure up.

It was almost 10:00 in the morning, and they would have to get up soon. They were expected by 1:00, and his mom would be upset if they were late. They both needed this extra rest this morning. He'd been stressed about so many things recently, and she'd had a mini breakdown the other day about their lack of communication.

Edward thought they'd been communicating just fine. They'd learned to speak a different language. One in which he told her all the time how he felt. When he held her hand, he told her that he cherished her. When he kissed her lips, he told her how very sweet she was. When they climaxed together, in that most intimate of moments, crying out in pleasure, he told her how very much he loved and adored her. Words had not been necessary. Or so he'd thought.

He just hadn't realized that Bella still needed to learn the language. She still needed to hear the words that went along with the actions. Edward had no problem being her interpreter. He would continue to interpret for as long as she needed. He was in no rush.

He did wonder if she knew how unique their relationship was. He'd never used the L word before. For him, it was momentous. Like pulling his soul out, laying it out on a lounge chair next to the pool, and letting the sun bake it away without the protection of sunscreen. It was unsettling. He needed Bella to be his sunscreen. She would protect it, care for it, and make sure it wasn't returned to him with third degree burns.

There were some things you couldn't recover from. Edward didn't want to try to recover from a sunburn at Bella's hands. He really didn't think he had any worries though. He was already thinking long term. In his head, it was all mapped out. They'd continue dating for a while. Then, when her apartment lease was up next summer, she'd move in with him. After making sure that they could actually co-exist without killing each other, he'd propose. Marriage. He didn't know how long that step would take, but he would know when the time was right. They'd get married on his parents' lawn with Lake Michigan as the backdrop. All their friends and family would be there to witness their vows. Hopefully, by then, his music career would have taken off and he could pursue that full time. Bella could continue to teach at Cullen Academy, and their life would be perfect.

He wasn't going to mention any of this to Bella just yet. He knew that he was jumping a little fast into the future, but he liked what he saw in store for them. He never wanted to be without Bella. It just felt right to have her in his life. He wanted her there permanently.

He looked down into her face, plastered adorably against his chest. She was smiling, which meant either she was dreaming or she was just waking up. She was an active dreamer. One of a thousand things he'd discovered about her since they started dating. She dreamt almost every night. Usually, she would wake in the morning and tell him about whatever dreams she had. Most of the time they were happy dreams, which only fed Edward's ego. He liked to think that he was the reason for the blissful state of her dreams.

Occasionally, the dreams would not be as pleasurable. Her brow would crinkle up and her lips would pucker. Sometimes, she'd spend a few minutes afterwards thrashing her legs around. Edward was not a fan of those dreams at all. Those were the only mornings that she didn't tell him what had passed through her dream world during the night. He knew that she was holding something back, but he was willing to wait for her to confide in him. He had innumerable patience when it came to the important things in life. Bella was at the very top of that list.

Second on the list, at that very moment, was the upcoming job he had with his band. Edward was serious about his music this time around. When he was younger, it had been just for fun. An excuse to hit the city, meet pretty girls and just generally enjoy his youth and vitality. Now that he was older and wiser, he was willing to put in the time and energy required to make his music a success. The entire band was with him on this. They'd had meeting after meeting, rehearsal after rehearsal, and they were all ready. They were dedicated to making the band a success. Nothing would hold them back this time.

Edward kissed the smooth skin of Bella's forehead and wiggled his body underneath her. It really was time for them to get up. Her fingers curled against his chest and he felt the stirrings of her muscles against his body that signaled her wakeful state.

"Too early," she mumbled against his chest, going still once more.

"It's time to get up, my cheerful morning bird. My mother is expecting us."

He laughed as she muttered about his mother and turkeys for a few moments. Most of it didn't make sense. Bella was not a morning person, which was funny considering that she got up early almost every day to go work out with her friend Jessica. Edward thought back to a day a few weeks ago when he'd surprised Bella at her apartment after one such session.

He'd been a little rough around the edges that morning. He'd woken up and missed her like hell. His one and only thought had been to find her before school. It wasn't his fault that she'd shown up wearing only a sports bra and a tiny pair of shorts. He was only human after all.

She hadn't seemed mad at him afterwards, when they'd showered together. He was glad to know that she could handle something other than slow and sweet. Edward had a whole range of possibilities in his head of how he wanted to love Bella.

He nudged Bella again now, and told her to get up. She reluctantly sat up, and Edward forced himself to roll out of bed and away from her hypnotizing eyes. He quickly headed towards the shower and away from a temptation that would definitely make them late.

***

They were, miraculously, not late for Thanksgiving dinner. They both had showered and dressed quickly. The delay had come when Bella realized that she'd left the shirt she'd wanted to wear at her apartment and they spent a few minutes debating whether or not to take the time to drive to her apartment or if she could make do with a different outfit. Bella finally settled on wearing one of Edward's t-shirts underneath the sweater she'd planned on wearing. No one would be able to tell the difference.

Edward watched Bella put on a pair of earrings and a bracelet, and had the sudden thought that he would like to buy her some jewelry. He'd never wanted to buy a girlfriend jewelry before, so this would be a first. Maybe a nice pair of diamond earrings or a necklace. Something classic and tasteful. He would have to think about it some more. Christmas was only a month away.

Edward was still crowing internally over his brilliant idea when they pulled up to his parents' house an hour later. The long driveway was filled with cars, just like every other Thanksgiving and Christmas. Edward steeled his nerve and helped Bella out of the car.

There would be questions from his relatives. About Bella. Edward never brought anyone to a family function. He'd been relentlessly teased over the years about it, but he'd never been interested enough in a girlfriend to want to bring her with him to a family dinner.

His father opened the front door just as they crested the top step.

"We were beginning to wonder if you two were coming," he told them with a cheeky grin. Edward took a quick peak at his watch, which read exactly 1:00.

"We're right on time," he told his dad, pulling Bella in close to his side, hoping that her blush would disappear soon.

"I know. I just like giving you a hard time. Come on in and let me take your coats." Edward frowned at his father, a little surprised at the teasing at Bella's expense.

Carlisle turned to Bella and took her coat off her arm. "I tease because I love, Bella. Don't ever forget it."

Bella smiled shyly up at his dad and batted her eyelashes, just like Edward had seen her do a hundred times to him.

"Thank you Mr. Cullen," she told him.

"Carlisle. I keep telling you to call me Carlisle." Even his dad seemed to be under Bella's spell.

"Carlisle," she repeated, and patted his arm. Edward chuckled at her side. His dad was in so much trouble. He was already wrapped around her finger.

Edward took her arm and pulled her towards the living room. Most of the family seemed to be present. His cousin Carmen and her husband Eleazar were chatting with his Aunt Irina. His cousins Kate and Garrett were having a sword fight with his mother's cheese spreaders. His dad's sister Maggie was talking to Emmett and Rosalie. Maggie was alone this year, having gone through a divorce since the last time Edward had seen her.

In fact, there were a lot of changes since the last time he'd seen most of his family. He hadn't come home at all during his self-inflicted New York sabbatical. Holidays had been lonely affairs, spent in Seth's empty apartment while he'd gone home to St. Louis to visit his own family.

Looking at Bella now, Edward couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

Edward introduced Bella to his various family members. She was obviously nervous, and a little on the quiet side today. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles while she listened to Aunt Chelsea's story about white water rafting down the Colorado. Bella nodded along, but Edward could sense that she was too shy to actually make any comments about the story. He wanted to wrap her in his arms, rock her back and forth and tell her that it would be alright. His family might stare if he did that, and Edward wasn't sure that pressing her body against his for any length of time was a good idea, unless they were alone.

His Aunt Jane and Uncle Laurent, who was married to his mom's sister Irina, were in conversation next to the fireplace. Edward made the introductions and squeezed Bella's hand a little tighter in reaction to the looks they gave her. His mom's sisters were difficult to get along with on the best of days. Edward had hoped that they would treat Bella kindly, but he really should have known better. There was some underlying animosity amongst the Pratt sisters that would unfortunately trickle down to Bella if they stayed together. And Edward had every intention of staying with Bella.

Edward quickly steered Bella away and toward Emmett and Rosalie. Bella relaxed noticeably once she and Rose started chatting and Edward used the opportunity to say hello to his mother who was trapped in the kitchen.

No one forced Esme Cullen to cook the entire Thanksgiving dinner for 25 people, but that's what she chose to do regardless. Edward knew that she spent days ahead of time preparing, but could still use some help. He didn't know much about cooking, but he was willing to help any way he could.

He pushed open the swinging door that separated the kitchen from the living room and was assaulted by the smells and memories of his childhood: moist turkey, fighting over the drumstick with Emmett, roll tosses in the backyard, mashed potato and pea sculptures. Best of all was the pumpkin pie that he now gravitated towards and drooled over.

"Edward Anthony Cullen – back away from the pie. I am armed and dangerous."

Edward barked out a laugh at the appearance of his mom, clutching a knife, all five feet of her staring up at his face. She tried to look menacing, but she was anything but.

"Mom, it smells so good. Are you sure you don't need me to be your taste tester? Because I don't mind making the sacrifice."

"Are you trying to insinuate that my world famous pumpkin pie could be anything less than scrumptiously delicious?"

Edward realized his mistake now. There was no way he'd be able to sneak a piece before dinner anymore.

"Absolutely not. Your pies are legendary. I was just trying to help…" He felt properly chastised and hung his head, hoping for a repeal.

"You can help by stirring the gravy." She turned her back on him and went back to stirring a pot on the stove.

Edward rolled up his sleeves, and took the spot next to her. He leaned over to look into the pot she was working on.

"Mashed potatoes – my favorite." It never hurt to butter up your mother. Especially when a piece of pie was on the line.

"Everything is your favorite. Keep stirring. The gravy's still lumpy."

They stood together in companionable silence for a few minutes longer. Edward could tell by the shifty looks his mom was giving him that she had something to ask.

"So, how are things with Bella?"

Ah…this conversation shouldn't be too difficult.

"Good, they're really good." Stir, stir, stir.

She nodded her head, as if that was the answer she'd expected all along.

"Emmett tells me that you spend all your time with her during the day."

"Not all my time. I do have students to teach, and so does she."

"Good, good." Her answer told him that she was distracted and actually leading up to something else entirely.

"I have your grandmother's ring in my jewelry box. Just in case you might need it for something."

Edward hung his head and groaned. He should have known better than to think that his mom wouldn't interfere with his relationship with Bella.

"Mom. It's only been three weeks."

"I married your father six weeks after we met."

"Yeah, and that was back when arranged marriages were still the thing."

His mom swatted him with her dishtowel.

"I'm not that old. It was love at first sight. Your father was so tall and handsome…"

"And after he finished apologizing for knocking you down onto the El platform, he asked you to coffee and you've been together ever since. I know the story."

His mom sniffed and moved across the room to check something in the oven. "It's a good story," she called back over her shoulder.

"It's a terrific story. But, not everyone falls in love so quickly."

"You're in love with Bella." His mom knew. Of course his mom knew. She had a sixth sense when it came to him. She knew everything about him.

"I am. But, we're not ready to get married, Mom. She's young and just getting her career started. And I've got my music to get going."

"Marriage wouldn't hold you back from either of those goals."

"Mom. Seriously." Edward grabbed her arms and spun her around, so she'd have to look at him instead of hiding behind whatever dish she was preparing. "I'm pretty sure that someday I will marry Bella. It's just too soon to talk about, ok?"

Edward often wondered if other sons could talk to their mothers like he could with his. He hoped so. He knew that Emmett preferred to seek out their dad's advice. And that was fine. Edward had just been more comfortable confiding in his mom. They just seemed to understand one another so completely.

"You're a good man, Edward." His mom started crying. Not big, fat sloppy tears. These were the tears that seeped out slowly from the corner of the eye.

"Aw, Mom. Dad's gonna be mad at me if he finds out that I made you cry." He pulled the dish towel out of her hand and used it to wipe away the small, silent tears that had escaped.

Any further conversation was impossible due to the Emmett's loud and annoying entrance into the kitchen.

He entered the room, carrying George, and singing to their mother about the joys of her pumpkin pie.

"Forget it, Emmett. I already tried. No dice." Edward leaned against the counter, watching the sad spectacle of his brother.

"Alas, my brother, you did not possess the secret weapon. Mother dearest, your first and only grandson would love it if you gave his father a piece of pumpkin pie. He promises not to share with that nasty Edward." Emmett dangled his child in front of their mother's face, as if the cuteness of the child would overcome her desire to keep her pie whole and intact.

To Edward's amazement, Esme clutched George to her chest and cooed to him. "Your daddy may have one little piece, but he has to share it with his brother."

Edward pumped his fist and said, "Yes!" A small piece of pie was better than no piece of pie.

"Mom…," Emmett whined. This clearly was not the outcome he had hoped for.

"George, tell your father that if he whines again, I'll make him watch Edward eat the whole slice by himself."

"Fine." Emmett stomped over to the pie and cut a small piece, then cut it in half. No plates or silverware were necessary. The pie slice disappeared into their mouths in moments.

"Best pie ever," Edward mumbled around the delicious pumpkiny filling still in his mouth.

His mother brought George over and handed him to Edward to hold. "I need to check the stuffing."

Edward grasped his nephew high against his chest as he'd seen Emmett hold him. "Hey there, big guy, does your mom know that her husband's in here making a mess out of dinner?"

Emmett was in fact making a mess of dinner. He was in the process of peeling huge chunks of skin off the turkey and shoving it in his mouth.

"What? It's good stuff."

"You're as bad as your wife," Esme called out from over the sink.

"I sure as hell hope so," Emmett replied with a wolfish grin.

Edward continued to bounce his nephew around while Emmett walked over to join him, leaning against the counter.

"I talked to Jason Jenks this morning. The board's going to hold off on the talks with the Record."

Edward tightened his grip around George. "Why? We were all on the same page at the board meeting."

Emmett crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. "I know. But, they've decided that since there hasn't been any more leaks lately, that bringing it to their attention would be the worst possible thing."

"This is all so completely ridiculous. We obviously have a leak, and that damn paper needs to work with us so we can find it."

"And you know they're not going to do that. We'll just have to continue to be vigilant. Maybe it was a one time thing. Maybe it won't happen again."

Edward muttered under his breath for a few minutes. George had hold of his finger and was gripping it far tighter than Edward thought possible. He blew out a breath, checked to make sure their mother couldn't hear, and turned to Emmett.

"I can't go through that again, Em. It was horrible last time. And now, with Bella in the picture, it would be 100 times worse."

"I know man," Emmett put his hand on Edward's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "We're doing our best."

Edward nodded his head and thanked his brother. Sometimes the best was all you could ask for.

"How is Bella? She looks pretty nervous."

"She is. I don't get it. She's fine in front of 120 teenagers, day in and day out, but put her in a room full of adults and she freezes."

"Our family is a little crazy. But, she'll warm up to them. Rose was showing her your baby album when I left."

Edward groaned and rolled his eyes. "So long as she doesn't pull out the album from middle school. Braces and I were not good friends."

Emmett laughed along with him, no doubt remembering the pain and misery that Edward suffered through for two years. Emmett had somehow escaped the torture device.

"You two seem happy together."

"We are." Edward pulled his brother back out of the kitchen, towards the pantry, where their mother was sure to not be able to eavesdrop. "Not to sound like a girl or anything, but it actually hurts when we're apart."

"Your dick?"

Edward shot his brother a look of disgust.

"No. Dude – like my chest aches and I can't focus, and then she comes into the room and the air gets easier to breathe and all is good." It had taken him a while, but Edward had finally realized that the piece that had seemed missing for the past few weeks was Bella. That had been an eye-opener. He'd finally been able to stop searching the sofa cushions and under the bed for what he thought he'd lost.

"Sounds like you're in love."

Edward nodded, not able to voice the words to his brother just yet. His mom was an entirely different matter.

"Mom wants me to give her the ring."

The entire family knew about Grandmother Platt's 2-carat diamond solitaire ring. She'd left it to Edward in her will, with the purpose of using it as an engagement ring for his future wife. This was the real source of animosity amongst Esme and her sisters. Irina and Jane still held grudges over the ring, even after all these years. Esme had been holding it for Edward for the last twenty years, and it was currently locked away in her room, safe and protected from two very jealous sisters.

Emmett laughed out loud at Edward's revelation. "Mom's really anxious to get you married off, isn't she? That's the craziest idea I've ever heard."

Edward frowned at Emmett. "I didn't think it was so crazy."

"You're not serious. You've known her for what, three months? And you spent half that time hating her…"

"I didn't hate her." Edward interrupted.

"And now you're going to marry her after dating her for a few short weeks? Talk about being destined for divorce court."

"I thought you liked Bella." Edward didn't like his brother's tone, though he couldn't figure out why he was suddenly taking his mother's side of the argument.

"I adore Bella, but that doesn't mean that I think you should marry her tomorrow. You seem to be moving along rather quickly, don't you agree?"

Edward would have agreed with him 15 minutes ago, but that was before his mom had planted that one, tiny, rapidly-spreading seed in his head. He knew that his relationship with Bella was the best thing to ever happen to him. He couldn't imagine spending his life with anyone else.

There was one small chip in the scalding rebuttal he had planned for Emmett.

"I did kind of think that she was breaking up with me the other night."

"What? See – this is exactly what I'm talking about."

"No, it turned out to be just a tiny misunderstanding." Edward bounced his nephew up and down a few times, searching for the best way to explain it to Emmett so that he could understand that marriage wasn't such a crazy idea after all.

"She told me that we 'needed to talk'…"

"Which is always the death knell for a relationship."

Edward's eyes lit up, hopeful that maybe Emmett got it after all. "Exactly! But then I actually felt sick to my stomach. I felt like all the air in the room had whooshed out…"

"Did you just say 'whoosh'?"

"Shut up and let me finish. And it was like my heart was going to pound out of my chest. It was horrible."

"So far, you've only proven my point even further. Do you see how easily you jumped to conclusions? Neither of you are ready for marriage."

"You should have seen the look on her face." Edward was trapped back in that moment again. He really had felt all those things – he wasn't just saying them to make Emmett see his side of things. "I was convinced that I'd done something horrible and was just awaiting the executioner."

"What did you do to her?"

Well, it was clear where Emmett's loyalties were these days. Gone was the concerned and advice-providing older brother. Emmett was clearly going to defend Bella from whatever douchebaggery that Edward had committed.

"Nothing! I didn't do a thing. She said that 'we weren't communicating' and that I'd hurt her feelings because I hadn't invited her to Thanksgiving dinner."

"You didn't invite her to Thanksgiving dinner? What is wrong with you?"

"Emmett, relax. I just didn't realize that I had to, you know, actually say the words to invite her. I thought she knew."

"You have a lot to learn. Never assume anything. And if she says that you need to talk more, that means that you've been thinking with your dick too much."

"Shut the fuck up."

"It's true. Rosie told me the same thing once. Only, her words were, 'Stop talking to my tits all the time.'"

Edward was not surprised.

"Are you nurturing? I'm concerned now that you've forgotten my advice."

"I'm not a little kid, Emmett."

"I know that, I just don't want you to screw this up. Pushing all thoughts aside of this whole 'let's-run-to-Vegas-and-get-married-tomorrow' plan, she really is the best thing to happen to you – ever."

"I know that."

"Good."

"What are you two whispering about back here?" Their mother's voice, coming from a much closer distance than was comfortable, made them both jump in guilt.

Emmett turned and smiled at their mom. He'd perfected the use of his dimples on her at a very young age.

"We were just plotting how to get another piece of our mom's greatest pumpkin pie ever."

"Right." Esme narrowed her eyes at the pair of them, clearly not fooled by their innocent eyes and Emmett's dimples.

"Get out of here and go talk to the rest of the family. Dinner will be ready soon."

"Yes, ma'am," they said in unison.

Edward handed George back over to his father. "I'm going to hunt down Bella."

"Don't forget – nurture!" Emmett called after him.

Edward circled the living room – twice – in search of Bella. He kept getting waylaid by an aunt or uncle who wanted to tell him what a nice girl Bella seemed to be.

Now if only he could find the girl herself.

He finally found her in the "picture room," as she liked to call it. She sat upon his mother's ladder-back chair, a picture perfect example of the proper young lady. Back ramrod straight, shoulders back, knees together, ankles crossed. Her head was down, though, and she was staring at one of a million photo albums that his mom had.

"I hope that's not the naked bathtub picture that has you so engrossed. You can't hold it against Emmett or me – we were just little kids."

Bella's eyes shot up off the page and she had the strangest look in them. She looked guilty about something. As if she was doing something out of the ordinary and didn't like getting caught. The smile that slid across her face pushed the look away almost immediately. Edward liked this smile. It was the one she reserved only for him. He knew because he watched her smile all the time at other people. She was such a happy person, and this smile, the one where the corners of her mouth slid up just a fraction and her eyes brightened and glistened, this was his smile. She only used it when she was talking to him.

"I haven't found that picture yet, but now I have it to look forward to. I was just looking at pictures of you as a baby. You were adorable."

Edward crossed the room and stood behind the chair, so he could look over her shoulder at the album. The page she was looking at held pictures from the day that his parents brought him home from the hospital. Esme and Carlisle stood proudly in front of the house, though Esme looked a little tired and worn out around the eyes.

"She was in labor with me for 26 hours. I was a difficult child from the beginning." Edward leaned down and traced the lines of his father's face. One arm was wrapped around his wife's shoulders, the other clutched a 3-year-old Emmett to his side. Esme held a tight bundle of white blankets that could only hold an infant Edward.

"I'm sure you couldn't have been any worse than Emmett," Bella responded, turning her head to face him instead of the photo album.

"Emmett had his fair share of trouble, too. We were always worse when we teamed up together. I think they stopped at two children because my mom was afraid that they'd have another boy, and it would be just that much more noise and chaos."

"I don't think your mom was bothered by the noise and chaos." Bella flipped the page and found more pictures of Edward, this time crawling around on the same Persian rug that still lined the living room floor. She laughed and touched the curve of his cheek with her fingers.

"Do you want children, Bella?" Edward heard himself asking. He snapped his mouth shut and wished vehemently that he could go back in time ten seconds and erase his question. As much as he'd just been discussing the topic of marriage with his mom and brother, Edward knew that they weren't ready yet. Not really. Children would just be a natural progression, and the thought had slipped past his lips before he could stop it.

Bella turned her head and looked at him dead on. He liked that about her: she didn't back down when things got tough. "Someday," she finally replied.

Edward released the breath he'd been holding. That was one bullet dodged for the day.

The next bullet wasn't so easy to avoid. Edward made the mistake of turning his head to the left, just a centimeter, and it put his mouth in the dangerous position of being pressed up against her neck.

Edward loved Bella's neck. The skin there was amazingly sensitive, and he couldn't stop himself from leaning in even further and placing kisses right below her ear.

Bella murmured his name, and that was all the encouragement he needed. He nudged his nose against her chin, and somehow she knew that he wanted her to tilt her head to the side so he'd have better access. He planted more small kisses from her chin to her ear, stopping to tug her small lobe into his mouth. Bella reached back and placed her hand on the side of his head, as if she didn't want him to escape. He kissed down her neck to where it met her shoulder, and sucked hard on the skin. The muscle there was firm and he nipped it with his teeth before sucking the skin back into his mouth to soothe it.

Bella whispered his name again, and Edward's control snapped. He turned her head so he could reach her mouth and plunged his tongue inside. She moaned and he felt the vibration travel through his body and straight to his groin. They were both starting to breath heavily and Edward knew that he should pull away. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that they were surrounded by family and getting caught in the midst of rounding the bases was the worst idea ever.

It was with relief and embarrassment that it was his cousin Kate who caught him sucking Bella's tongue into his mouth in his mother's sitting room. He heard her quiet entrance, and then heard her retreating steps as she called out her mom's name on her way back to the living room.

Edward released Bella's mouth, grabbed her hand, and pulled her up out of the chair. "Shit," he said, running a hand through his hair.

They needed to get out of there and quickly before his entire family came to investigate his 10-year-old cousin's claims.

He ran towards the back door of the sitting room, the one that led to the backyard. Fortunately, the back stairs were also located off this hallway, and Edward led Bella in that direction now.

"What's wrong, Edward?" Bella asked, pulling on his hand for him to stop dragging her.

"If they catch us in there, they'll never let us forget it." Bella started laughing. This clearly was not the response she'd expected.

He was dragging them up the narrow set of stairs now, trying to tread lightly so their movements couldn't be traced and followed.

"You don't understand, Bella. They caught Emmett and Rosalie in the pool once, in the midst of something much more intimate that what we were just doing, and it was relentless. For years, they got teased about it. They mailed boxes of condoms to Rosalie at her home; she still lived with her parents at the time." Edward paused in front of a door, and finally turned to face her. "It was horrible. At the time I thought it was hilarious, but my relatives are like sharks, Bella. They get a whiff of the blood and it's a feeding frenzy. We just need to hide for a few minutes until they decide that Kate was imagining things."

Edward opened the door they stood in front of and pulled Bella inside. He closed and locked it behind them.

They stood with their ears pressed up against the door for a few minutes, trying to catch their breaths and listen for the sound of approaching footsteps at the same time. It seemed like they had managed an escape after all.

Edward watched Bella pull away from the door and take a glance at the room that he'd pulled them into.

"Are you sure that locking us inside your bedroom was the best plan?"

"How did you know this was my bedroom?" He had indeed locked them inside his childhood bedroom.

"Well, for starters, there's a keyboard in the corner. Plus, everything is blue in here. And there are posters of Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie on the wall."

"I'm impressed that you recognize them."

"I don't. Their names are on the posters."

Edward nodded and suddenly realized that they were alone in his bedroom, with his small twin size bed just feet away.

"We could…to pass the time." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Not on your life, pal. Your whole family is searching for us, and your mom is right downstairs. Now is not the time for some loving."

Edward pulled her into his arms, loving the feel of her curves against his body. He pulled her hips in against his, just so she would feel the effect she had on him.

"Any time is the perfect time for loving you." He leaned down to kiss her cheeks and nibble along her chin towards her mouth.

Bella sighed and relaxed in his arms. "You say the sweetest things, Edward. I love you so much."

"Love you too," he whispered right before he kissed her.

As he held her in his arms and continued to tell her with his lips and mouth how very much he loved her, Edward thought of the jewelry box just three bedrooms away. The one that held the engagement ring that his grandmother had specially requested go to Edward's bride, whoever she turned out to be. His mother's words rang in his head and he actually had to fight the sudden urge he had to head to that bedroom, the one just three doors down, dig the ring out of the box, rush back to Bella and fall to his knees and beg her to have him. Forever.

Luckily for the both of them, Bella chose that moment to tug on his hair quite forcefully. He smiled against her lips as he realized that she was tugging them back towards his bed.

It seemed that she wasn't so adverse to some secret loving after all.

It was the screeching voice of Rosalie that stopped him from lifting Bella's skirt and pushing her panties out of the way.

"I know you're in there!" Her voice was quiet, but the meaning behind the words rang through loud and clear. "You'd better stop whatever you're doing and get out here. I heard the aunts discussing which birth control pamphlets would be best to start mailing to Bella."

Edward ripped his lips away from Bella's collarbone. "Shit."

Bella giggled and pushed his hair out of his face. "We'll just have to finish this later."

Edward stood and turned his back so he wouldn't be tempted to jump on Bella again.

Bella marched to the door and flung it open, revealing an apologetic Rosalie.

"Thanks," Bella told her before throwing her arms around her shoulders in a hug. Rosalie actually smiled for once and returned the gesture.

"No problem. They made my life hell for months. Just trying to save you some embarrassment."

"You're the best, Rosalie."

"I know. Come with me. We'll tell them that you and I have been exploring the billiards room."

"Good idea. We just can't tell them that we were actually playing because I almost knocked the nuts off some guy once…"

Edward stood in his bedroom listening to the fading voices of his sister-in-law and Bella as they walked arm-in-arm down the hallway. There was an unlikely friendship if he'd ever seen one. He was glad, though, because he hoped that they would spend all the holidays together from this point on, and it would be nice if they got along.

Edward left them to their deceptions and headed back to the living room, preparing to face a round of embarrassing and intrusive questions. However, when he walked into the room at the front of the house, everyone seemed engrossed in one of Uncle Randall's stories about playing for President Reagan back in the eighties. His uncle was his mom's brother. It was no secret that Edward got his musical talents from the Platt side of the family. His dad's side couldn't carry a tune to save their lives.

Luckily, it seemed to be the perfect distraction from whatever naughtiness he and Bella might have been caught doing. He only hoped that Rosalie's ruse worked.

Edward found his brother leaning against the wall next to his mother's antique table. The same table they had broken one of the legs off of when they were caught wrestling on the floor one summer. They'd been sent to summer camp every summer after that.

"Hey," Edward said, joining his brother on the wall. "Is dinner going to be ready soon?"

"Yeah. We're going to eat as soon as Randall's done." Emmett shook his head. "How many times have we heard this story now? Five? Six?"

"Come on – he has a right to brag. How many times have you met the President of the United States?"

"It's just that it's the exact same story, every year. Regardless, did Rosalie find you?" There was a twinkle in Emmett's eye when he asked.

Edward rolled his own in response. "Yes, and thank you." The thanks was a little harder to say. "She and Bella seem pretty tight. When did that happen?"

Emmett shrugged. "I don't know. They were huddled in the corner for a good twenty minutes after you went into the kitchen."

Uncle Randall finally finished his story, and as if his mom had been waiting on the other side of the kitchen door with her ear pressed to it, she hurried into the living room to announce that dinner was ready.

Edward was glad to see that Rosalie and Bella were deep in the process of helping his mom with the meal. Let everyone think that she'd been in here the whole time – it was a good plan.

If only his family had let it go at that. They hounded the two of them during dinner. Anytime Edward accidentally bumped her elbow, or Bella shifted in her seat, they pounced.

"Ohhhh…I think I see a little hanky panky underneath the table!"

"Edward, should you really be gripping Bella's thigh so tightly in front of company?"

"Bella, dear, you look tired. Is Edward keeping you up at night?"

Edward darted his eyes to his mother for help after the last question. Things had gotten completely out of control.

His mother cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "Edward's playing Christine's tomorrow. Did everyone get the Evite I sent out?"

This wasn't exactly the help that Edward had been hoping for.

Bella leaned over to whisper into his ear. "Evite? Your mom knows how to use Evite?"

"I'm just as surprised as you. You know what this means though."

Bella shook her head. Poor girl had no idea what was in her future.

"You'll be spending tomorrow evening with my relatives as well."

Bella sat back in her chair and a gasp escaped from her mouth. Her face scrunched up, almost in horror.

"I suddenly feel like I'm going to be sick tomorrow. I'm sorry I won't be able to make it, Edward."

Edward let his hand slide across her shoulders until he reached her neck. His fingers trailed up the back of her neck and underneath her hair. She visibly shivered and Edward smiled. She was so easy sometimes.

"I don't believe that you wouldn't come, Bella. I know how much you like to see me play."

They stared into each other's eyes, and instantly it was as if they were the only two people in the room.

Bella leaned in close to his ear and placed her hand on his thigh. "Why can't I ever get enough of you?"

Edward knew exactly how she felt. "I don't think we'll ever get enough, Isabella. That's why we're so good together."

She smiled at him then, and it was her smile she reserved just for him. He knew that she was happy. She told him all the time. And he felt exactly the same way. He couldn't think of one thing that would ever ruin this relationship. They were going to be together, forever.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. It all belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

Bella met Alice at the unlikeliest of places the morning of Black Friday: Lake Shore Gardens. When Alice had asked her to get together on Friday, Bella had assumed that it would involve some type of shopping trip. After all, Black Friday was the biggest shopping day of the year. Alice's thoughts on the subject were riveting.

"I finished my Christmas shopping two months ago. Why on earth would I want to go out today amongst the galloping horde in search of some over-hyped savings and engage in blatant consumerism? I like to shop as much as the next girl, but I refuse to bow to the pressures of our materialistic culture and buy stuff just because it's what is expected."

As they toured the Gardens indoor Christmas display, which included copious amounts of poinsettias and evergreen trees, Bella thought of only one reason to actually brave the mall this time of year.

"To visit Santa Claus?" Bella was perfectly happy to avoid the mall as well. She was surprised by Alice's thoughts on the matter though. "You finished your shopping two months ago? Really? How do you do that?"

"It's easy. Every time I'm out and I see something that I think Jasper would like, or my mom, or whoever, I buy it and hide it away in the attic. I checked at the beginning of September and I had enough presents for everyone already, so I'm done."

She did make it sound easy, but Bella knew she could never do that herself. She had a difficult time trying to decide what gifts to buy for everyone, let alone trying to do it months in advance. Of course, it also helped that she didn't have a lot of gifts to buy in the first place. This year would be a different story.

"My dad wants me to bring Edward home for Christmas," she told Alice, bending down to examine a lily pond that the Gardens staff had magically transferred into a winter wonderland.

Alice's eyes lit up, erasing the cloudy quality they'd taken on while discussing the cons of mass shopping. "That's terrific! Edward must be thrilled! When do you leave? Do you need a ride to the airport? I can check on your apartment while you're gone."

Bella laughed at Alice's enthusiasm. "Actually, I haven't asked him yet. I wanted to wait until after tonight. He's been so nervous. Do you really think he'll be 'thrilled'?" Bella was also nervous: this seemed like a big step to her. She didn't know how Edward would react to her invitation.

"Of course he will be. He's obviously in love with you. He will definitely want to meet your father."

"Ok, good," Bella sighed, standing up again and walking to the next display with Alice. Much like the whole Thanksgiving debacle, she'd been holding onto the Christmas news for a couple days and the tension from it had done a number on her stomach. But now that Alice seemed to think that Edward would be 'thrilled,' she could relax.

"One thing though, Bella: have you told him about Jacob yet?"

Bella's nervous butterflies fluttered back with a vengeance. Yet another conversation she'd been putting off.

"No. Do I really need to tell him?" Bella absolutely, positively didn't want to. She hated to think back to the girl she'd been just a few months ago. She didn't want Edward to think of her like that either.

"I think you do. I know why you've been putting it off, and I don't think you have anything to worry about. Edward's a smart guy. He knows better than to judge people by their pasts. He loves you, but he should be given the opportunity to know the whole you. Warts and all. Besides, he told you about the whole Tanya business. Do you think that was easy for him?"

Bella shook her head. She knew it hadn't been easy for him. He did seem lighter and more relaxed since they had that conversation, as if a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Bella wondered if she would feel the same way after she told him about Jacob.

"You're right. I have to tell him."

Alice linked her arm through Bella's and patted her hand reassuringly. "You'll feel better once you do." As usual, Alice somehow knew about the butterflies practicing their break-dancing skills in her stomach.

"Thanks, Alice."

"My pleasure."

They continued into the grand conservatory where the Gardens housed their miniature train collection. Bella was lost in thought about exactly what she would say to Edward when the time came. Jacob and his role in her life seemed like a distant memory now. At times, it felt like what happened hadn't been that big of a deal. Back then, she thought her heart had broken beyond repair. That her life was ending. That it was easier to try to start over somewhere else away from the pain.

All those feelings were nothing in comparison to what she felt for Edward. This was what love really was. It wasn't a small thump in her chest or spending day after day searching and hoping for a return of feelings that you've harbored for years. Love was an all-consuming fire that swept across your soul and enveloped you and kept you warm. Bella hadn't been warm until she met Edward. She didn't even want to try and think about what would happen if that warmth were to disappear. That loss would be so much more devastating than what she went through with Jacob.

A small chuckle from Alice brought Bella back to the present. Her friend was staring at two small children who were engrossed by the large and intricate train set. They looked to be brothers, maybe only a year or two apart. They had the same straight, brown hair and chubby cheeks. The boys even wore the same miniature Chicago Bears jackets, though the older boy had his pushed back off his shoulders in deference to the heat of the greenhouse. They took turns pointing out the different aspects of the display, and the younger boy seemed particularly delighted when the train disappeared through one of the tunnels only to reappear moments later out the other end. He jumped up and down when the train rattled past, tugging the sleeve of his older brother's coat.

Alice watched the entire exchange with something akin to desire in her eyes. Not the desire with which she watched Jasper when he came home late from football practice, all sweaty and stinky; this desire was something much simpler and purer.

Bella felt like slapping herself in the forehead. Out of all the conversations she and Alice had shared, they'd never discussed children. Not even when they went to visit Rosalie and the baby did anyone ever bring up the subject of Alice wanting children. It was clear from the way that her eyes softened and glistened as she watched the two boys walk away towards their mother that Alice actually did want children of her own.

Bella wondered why the topic had never come up though. The two of them had shared practically their whole lives with each other. But this was one area they had never covered.

"Do you want children, Alice?" Bella asked, hearing an echo in her head of the same question being asked by Edward just the day before. Edward's query had taken her by surprise, but Bella had answered truthfully. She wanted children, someday. She felt as though she'd just discovered her life. She wasn't ready to completely give up her new-found freedom to become a parent. But, someday she would be ready.

Alice, on the other hand, had been married for five years. She and Jasper would be great parents. Bella was curious why they didn't have kids, unless it was because they didn't want any.

Alice's response threw that theory out the window. "I do, Bella. Jasper and I have talked about it many times."

"Oh."

Bella didn't know much about little kids, but she thought that she would enjoy playing with Alice and Jasper's children. She could be the aunt that they would never have, since Alice and Jasper were only children. Bella didn't spend a lot of time with George Cullen, mostly because she wasn't close to Rosalie like she was with Alice, so she couldn't even compare the two experiences. However, she could picture herself babysitting for Alice and Jasper, taking their little girl, or boy, to the park or out for ice cream when they got older.

"I hope I'm not being too intrusive, but have you and Jasper been trying, or are you waiting to have kids?" Bella didn't even know how to ask. It felt too much like asking "Are you using birth control? What's taking so long?"

Alice tugged her out of the grand conservatory and into the next room, which was filled with a small display of Christmas wreaths. Bella caught the hint of sadness in her eyes before she blinked away and turned her smile on instead. "We're trying, Bella."

Bella nodded her head, sensing Alice's reluctance to discuss the topic further. She could only assume that Alice would tell her more when she was ready. Bella didn't feel the need to press the subject. Alice had been so open with her about almost every other subject that she could give her this one small piece of privacy in exchange.

While they examined the festively decorated wreaths, Bella asked about the infamously disgusting green bean dish that Alice had been forced to suffer through the day before.

This, thankfully, brought a true smile to Alice's face and even a laugh.

"They were God awful. But, Jasper made up for it with his sweet potato casserole. My man makes cooking Thanksgiving dinner look easy."

Bella had the same thought the day before in Esme Cullen's kitchen. She and Rosalie had slipped inside the room unnoticed and instantly been put to work. Not that Esme had needed much help. She'd stood patiently at the door that separated the kitchen from the living room, waiting for some unknown signal to announce that dinner was ready. Bella and Rosalie had been only too happy to help put the finishing touches on the meal.

Bella had gained a whole new appreciation for his mother once Edward told her that she'd prepared the entire meal herself. Bella liked to cook, but she'd never cooked for more than four or five people at one time. She couldn't imagine the logistics of providing enough food for five times that amount of people. Yet, Esme had handled it with her usual calm and elegance.

Alice finished rattling off the other dishes that Jasper had prepared, including some Southwestern fare that sounded delicious but not what Bella would have expected to have been served on Turkey day.

They made their way out of the wreath room and headed towards the Garden's cafeteria for a light lunch. The menu options were limited and pricey, but Bella managed to find a chicken salad sandwich that didn't look like it supported a host of bacterial colonies. Alice steered them towards a table near the window so they could watch the other visitors hurry by in the cold, snowy day.

"Hey, I meant to ask you earlier. Jasper has a conference that goes through next weekend. Do you want to come over Saturday night and we'll watch girly movies and try to burn the kitchen down while I make popcorn?"

"I'd love to – except for the burning down the kitchen part. I'll make the popcorn." Alice kept insisting that her kitchen skills were atrocious. Bella couldn't understand how anyone could ruin a bag of microwave popcorn.

"Great. I hate sitting around the house by myself when he's out of town. I get nervous and jumpy. I never lived alone so it's strange for me to sit in an empty house. I usually tag along with Jasper on these conferences, but this one is too long and I can't take that much time off from work. So, if you can come over it will save me from having to stay at my parents' house for the weekend."

Bella had only been living on her own for a few months, so she could sympathize with Alice's reluctance to stay home all alone. Bella had actually learned to enjoy the big, empty silences that accompanied living by yourself. Alice was usually so strong and confident that it touched Bella to witness her moment of weakness.

They finished their lunch and chatted some more about Thanksgiving at the Cullens. Alice was disgusted to hear Bella's story about being approached by Edward's aunts about her family's history and finances.

"I'm not too surprised though. Esme's family is old money and a bunch of snobs to boot."

"'Old Money'? People really say that?"

"Just be thankful that the Pratt sisters aren't extremely close. Irina and Jane could make your life a living hell if they were so inclined. Fortunately, Esme can't stand them either so they only show up for the holidays. And since you're spending the next one in Forks…"

"I won't have to be bothered by them again any time soon. After tonight."

Bella's words reminded them to check the time, and they realized that it was getting late. They quickly cleared their table and headed out into the snow to get ready for Edward's performance.

***

The trip into town for Edward's gig that evening was a much more subdued affair than the one the month prior. No limo was hired. No large, expensive dinner was planned beforehand. Everyone seemed to agree that the stakes were much higher this time around, which made the tension levels of all involved climb in response.

Edward went into town early, so Bella caught a ride with Alice and Jasper. Emmett and Rosalie were headed to Highland Park to pick up the parents, and to lead a caravan of six cars to Christine's.

Bella was incredibly nervous this time around. The last time she'd seen Edward perform, it had been a surprise so she had no opportunity to get worked up about it ahead of time.

Edward's nerves had generated a sympathetic response from her own neural circuitry. Her pulse raced faster than normal. Tiny beads of sweat formed on the back of her neck. She fidgeted so much that Alice accused her of having Tourette's during the long car ride.

Neither she nor Edward had slept well the night before, and that would catch up with them at some point. For the time being, Bella was running on pure adrenaline.

Bella continued to bop her knee up and down and check her watch every few minutes. Jasper yelled at her the third time she leaned forward to check his speed.

"Bella, I love you, but if you don't calm down I'm going to turn around and take you back home."

"You can't do that! I know we're almost there, but we still have to find a parking spot and get good seats. I'm just concerned about the time."

Alice reached back and clasped her hand. "It's ok, babe, really. It's not like it's going to start on time anyway. These things always start late and run longer than they're supposed to. Besides, you know that Edward won't start until you get there."

Bella nodded and relaxed back into the seat a bit. She could only imagine Edward's anxiety level right now if she was this bad.

Fortunately, Jasper found a parking garage near the club and they only had a few blocks to walk.

The bad part was that it was freezing cold and the snow was still falling steadily.

Alice complained about her shoes getting wet, and Jasper offered to carry her in a fireman's hold the final block to the club. Bella relaxed enough to be able to laugh at their antics as Alice tried to chase Jasper down the street in order to jump on his back, piggy-back style. Her heels and short legs were no match for the lanky Jasper, who stood waiting, calmly, at the club entrance by the time they got there.

"You just wait until later, Whitlock. I know where you sleep at night."

Jasper picked his wife up and nuzzled her neck, whispering loudly, "Yes, you do Mrs. Whitlock. Yes, you most certainly do."

Bella rolled her eyes and strolled past them into the welcoming warmth of the club.

This night club was very different from the first hole in the wall club that Edward's band had played. Christine's was bigger, bolder, and the absolute right place for Edward to be embarking on his career.

Whereas the last establishment had seemed more like a watering hole with a small stage, this was a club where the stage was obviously the center point. The main room was much larger, and easily held 100 more people. Three aisles led past intimate, cloth-lined tables to a good-sized stage at the front of the room. The tables were arranged in a semi-circle around the stage, a portion of which jutted out into the audience.

The lights were dim even as the audience milled around the room, drinking and socializing. Fan-shaped sconces around the perimeter of the room provided adequate lighting to move around, and several torchieres were also placed in the corners of the room for additional lighting. Each table held a small chrome table lamp that emitted just enough light for patrons to be able to see their drinks. Bella assumed that once the music began, most of the lights would turn off completely.

The walls were draped in fabrics of rich jewel tones, but were interspersed with beveled mirrors that hung behind the sconces in order to reflect the light back out into the club, and posters that depicted scenes and people from the 1930's.

The club oozed class and sophistication like the mother of a deb at her first ball. The room served as a supporting player to the entertainment that the night's performers would bring. The main event was the musicians, but they would shine like unpolished silver if it weren't for the window dressing that the club provided.

Bella looked down at the black silk dress she had worn and was glad she'd picked the dressiest item from her closet. She was showing more cleavage than she was used to, but the evening wrapped around her insecurity and held it at bay, allowing the bolder, brighter Bella to emerge.

She caught up to Alice and Jasper and was immediately alarmed by the number of people she recognized, all of whom were related to Edward. She remembered most of them from dinner the day before, and those that she didn't recall were clearly identifiable as part of the Cullen-Pratt clans just by the way they looked. Almost all of Edward's relatives either had bronze-colored hair like he and Esme, or dark curly hair like Emmett and presumably Carlisle used to before it had turned stark-white. Those that weren't identifiable by hair color had either Edward's nose, which seemed to be a Cullen trait, or his strong chin, also from the Cullens, or his smile which was definitely a Pratt smile.

It was eerie, actually, glancing at the five tables that they had consumed at the front of the room, and being able to identify each and every soul.

Bella went around to each table to say hello to Edward's relatives, though she didn't linger too long at the table where Esme's sisters were seated. Not only were these the two aunts whom she'd overheard talking about prenuptial agreements the day before, but according to Rosalie, they were also the ones threatening to forward Bella data on the NuvaRing.

Great Uncle Afton had apparently managed to take his medication that day after all and he was coherent and not drooling when Bella spoke to him. He also didn't remember her, which was probably a good thing considering he'd asked her to give him a lap dance the day before.

Uncle Jared and Aunt Kim were also much more pleasant to be around since they figured out that Bella was not the girl who had tried to have Edward arrested for public displays of lewdness. Ok, so they were a little older and didn't have the Tanya story completely straight. Bella was just glad that they weren't yelling at her like they had when they'd found her sitting in the corner with Rosalie. She rather disliked being called a bitch.

By the time she made it to the table up front where Edward's parents, Emmett and Rosalie were seated, it was almost time for the performance to begin. Two bottles of champagne had already been opened and Bella gratefully accepted her glass. Being nice to all of Edward's family was tiring work. Her own family was so small that she wasn't used to having so many people aware of her personal life and trying to force their well-intentioned advice onto her. It was exhausting.

Bella settled into her chair and spoke to Rosalie quietly while they waited. Like last time, canned music filtered in through the speakers prior to the musicians taking the stage. Bella recognized at least two pieces that she'd heard in the car with Edward over the past few weeks. She was proud that she could name the artists too. Bella was almost certain that the first one was a Charlie Parker tune….Apple in the Scrapple or something. The second song she knew was Dizzy's A Night In Tunisi. Bella made a mental note to share her brilliance with Edward at the end of the night.

The lights finally dimmed completely and the recorded music cut off. The lights came up on the stage and the announcer began his spiel.

"Ladies and gentleman, welcome to Christine's, where we bring you the best jazz, rhythm and blues performers that Chicago has to offer."

There was some light applause and the announcer paused for a moment.

"Now, we'd like to welcome the Edward Cullen Five!"

Bella watched as Edward and the rest of his group bounded up onto the stage. Her stomach felt like it was going to squeeze up her esophagus and out through her mouth. Her knee tapped a quick staccato against the under side of the table. She had to sit on her hands to keep them from pulling at her hair nervously and ruining the French twist she'd wound her hair up into.

Edward, on the other hand, seemed completely calm and cool. His nerves from the past few weeks appeared to have vanished. He walked across the stage towards his piano and settled down onto the bench. He wore a pair of new black pants, which Bella had helped him pick out just the weekend before. He was actually in need of a new wardrobe since many of his clothes were faded and a little worn looking. He also wore the white button-down they picked out during the same trip, only Edward had added a pair of black suspenders to the outfit. Bella smiled at his fashion improvisational skills. The suspenders definitely worked. The sleeves of his shirt were already rolled up to his elbows and he'd left the top two buttons undone, showing off a tiny peak of chest hair.

Bella concentrated on that patch of skin, the one she knew quite intimately, while she waited for them to begin. She felt her body begin to relax as she remembered what his skin felt like there. It was taut against the underlying muscle, and covered with that light-colored, springy hair of his. She smiled from the memory of moving her lips against his skin, and his reaction any time she pressed her lips to his body.

It took a moment, but Bella realized that they still hadn't begun playing. Her look of contentment turned into one of confusion and she managed to peel her eyes away from Edward's chest to see what they were waiting for.

It seemed that they were waiting on her. Bella's eyes raked Edward's face; his twinkling eyes staring at her in concentration, his lopsided grin letting her know that he'd caught her shamelessly staring at his body. Edward had been waiting on her to stop ogling his chest before beginning. Apparently eye contact was all he needed because as soon as she returned his smile, he nodded to the bass player who took them off into their first number.

Bella glanced around the table to see if anyone else had caught the exchange between herself and Edward. Rosalie and Emmett seemed to be engrossed in the music, but Esme was looking at Bella out of the corner of her eye with the hint of a smile playing across her mouth. Bella sighed and turned her attention back to Edward at the piano. It figured that his mom would catch her ogling her son.

The first piece they played morphed quickly into a number that was a great showpiece of the Chicago jazz style. The bass and trumpet kept the beat steady and Edward and Joey each had amazing solos. The audience applauded loudly after each solo, but the musicians were professional and kept playing without getting flustered or nervous.

The next number slowed the tempo down a bit. Bella swayed in her seat, engrossed in the music and the way Edward's hands flew across the keys. She couldn't help remembering the way he used those same fingers on her body. She decided then and there that his hands were her favorite body part, next to his eyes of course. His long slim fingers were like tiny magicians, each working its own set of magic tricks. When he played the piano, they worked together to create beautiful music, which seemed like a feat of magic to Bella. Her own piano days had never created anything that sounded remotely close to what Edward managed to do. When he played her body, he created music of a different kind. Her moans, gasps and sighs became the soundtrack that filled the room.

She was very much looking forward to creating a new soundtrack in the very near future.

The song ended and Edward spoke a few words into the microphone, introducing the band and then the next song. It seemed as if he were speaking directly to Bella the whole time. She smiled and stared intently at his face, but she wasn't really seeing him. In her head, Bella was in his bedroom He was smiling down at her as he caressed and worshiped her body. Bella heard the notes of the new song that they were playing in the background of her fantasy, and the scene changed slightly. She and Edward were now entwined, completely wrapped around one another. Edward was slowly making love to her, his thrusts beating in time to the music. It was slow, sweet, and deep, piercing into her soul and bringing tears to her eyes.

Bella realized with a start that tears were actually coming out of her eyes. She discreetly grabbed a napkin off the table to dab away the wetness.

She wasn't as discreet as she had hoped though. Rosalie leaned over and whispered, "Are you alright?"

Bella nodded her head. "The music just kind of got to me, that's all," she whispered back.

Rosalie gave her a look of disbelief but thankfully turned to say something to Emmett instead of interrogating her further. Bella watched Emmett lean around his wife and give Bella the same look of concern that Rosalie had given.

Bella huffed and mouthed across Rosalie's back, "I'm fine."

Emmett grimaced and whispered something to his wife, leaving Bella alone for the time being. She was grateful. It was bad enough that she'd been caught crying at the table. She didn't want to explain that it was because she'd been fantasizing about what a good lover his brother was and how they were going to spend the next two days locked together in her bedroom.

Thankfully, the next two songs were more upbeat so Bella was able to keep her mind in the here and now. When they finished the last song, Edward announced that they were taking a quick break and the band bounded off the stage.

Bella's table was on their feet and still clapping when Edward jogged over to the table. He accepted congratulations from his mom and dad before rounding the table and grabbing Bella's hand.

He didn't stop. He waved to the rest of his family, but took off for a door to the left of the stage, dragging Bella close behind him.

Bella smiled and rubbed her fingers across his knuckles. If the past few weeks were any indication, she was about to be reap the benefits of having a horny musician for a boyfriend. She hadn't realized until that night that his music would have the same effect on her.

Edward pushed open the door with no small amount of force. Bella heard it bounce back against the wall, but they were already down a dimly lit hall and around the corner before the sound reached them.

Bella giggled as she trailed behind Edward, who was completely single-minded in his destination. They reached a plain, wooden door and Edward pushed it open, dragging Bella in behind him before shutting and locking it behind them.

He did not turn on the light and it was dark inside the room. Bella's pulse increased and she licked her lips nervously. She couldn't see his face, but she knew what she would see if she could: barely contained arousal.

"Edward," she whispered, anxious for him to touch her, kiss her, smell her, lick her…anything really. She knew he only had a short break and pondered the wisdom of trying to sneak away for only the few minutes that they would have together.

"Shhh," he told her, running his fingers up her arms, across her shoulders and along the deep vee of her neckline. Bella panted and ran her hands up his chest, searching out the suspenders. She wrapped her fingers around them and tugged him closer.

"Please," she said, needing him in so many ways at that moment, but knowing that whatever they managed still wouldn't be enough.

Edward's control must have snapped because the next thing she knew, he had slammed his mouth down onto hers and plunged his tongue inside. Bella wrapped her tongue around his, unleashing her own need that she'd barely been keeping in check. Their mouths and bodies moved and slid against one another.

Bella slipped her hand into his shirt and palmed the patch of skin that she'd been eyeing all evening. Edward moved his hand from her lower back to her butt and pulled her closer so she could feel his straining erection against her stomach. Bella rubbed against him, wishing that they had time to do the things that their bodies so desperately wanted to do.

Bella pulled her hand out of his shirt and pushed both suspenders off his shoulders. She ran her hands back up his long arms and across his broad chest and shoulders. Edward panted in her ear and leaned forward to capture her mouth again. Bella was distracted by his hot mouth and zealous tongue, forgetting her original intent. Luckily, Edward reminded her when he rubbed his groin against her body again. She smiled against his mouth and slid her hand down the expanse of his chest and abdomen until she reached the top of his pants. She pushed her hand in between the fabric of his shirt and pants, searching for that throbbing part of him that she knew needed her touch.

This time, it was Edward's turn to groan her name.

She found her way inside his boxers and wrapped her hand around his length tightly. She stroked him up and down, to the same rhythm that had been inside her head during her fantasy.

"Baby, you have to stop. Please."

Bella shook her head and kept going. She had an ache in her own lower regions that would have to be attended to later. Stroking Edward was almost as good as rubbing her own aching loins. She rubbed her thumb across the head of his penis, feeling the small amount of liquid that had seeped out. Bella felt victorious at her discovery. It pleased her immensely that she had such an effect on Edward.

Bella felt a swell of fierce determination fill her chest. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to lick that small bead of pre-cum off his dick. Edward would surely try to stop her, so she had to move quickly. She quickly dropped to her knees, unfastened his pants and pulled his engorged length out.

She smiled when her tongue met the tip of his penis and the salty taste that lingered there. With one quick flick, she pulled the saltiness into her mouth and groaned. She wanted to taste more. Bella wrapped her lips around his dick and sucked his entire length into her mouth. Using the same rhythm that had been playing havoc with her libido all evening, she bobbed her head along his length, pulling him into her mouth and licking his head on the way out. She grabbed his naked butt cheeks to hold him closer and Edward, who had been silent since she dropped to the floor, let out a strangled moan.

A loud banging sound on the door made them both jump. Bella was extremely glad she hadn't been using her teeth, or Edward would have gotten an unpleasant surprise.

"Edward, man, you in there?"

Bella recognized Shakes' voice through the door and was instantly embarrassed. Public sex had never interested her, yet here she was, on her knees in a night club in downtown Chicago with her half-naked boyfriend.

"Just a minute," Edward called out. His voice was almost an octave higher, no doubt due to what had just been interrupted.

"Man, we're supposed to be back on stage now. I've been looking for you for five minutes."

"Shit, shit, shit," Edward said under his breath. Bella heard the rustle of his clothes while he spoke, straightening the mess she'd made. "Bella, I've got to go. I'm sorry, I never should have dragged you back here, but I could feel you watching me the entire time. It was like your eyes lit a path of fire on my body. I've been hard since the second song. Fuck – how am I going to last for 45 more minutes?"

He seemed to be talking to himself at this point, so Bella stood, straightened her own clothes and leaned her forehead against the cool wall next to the door. She didn't know how she was going to last either. Her sex felt heavy and throbbed with the pulse of her heartbeat. Not to mention that his family was sure to make jokes when she went back to the table. Edward had been rather obvious in his intent and Bella wasn't sure that she could handle the stares or crude jokes.

"Maybe I should just go home," she whispered. It would probably be for the best. She was a distraction, and Edward need to be playing to the best of his abilities tonight, not consumed with lust for her.

"No." She heard Edward turn when he responded, and his voice was filled with a hint of anger. "Don't leave. I need to know that you're still here."

"I can't go back out there, Edward." Bella was completely embarrassed now that her head had cleared some. Edward's entire family probably assumed that they'd come back here to have sex, which was pretty accurate, but still. They didn't need to know that.

"Ok. Ok." He seemed to be thinking while he finished straightening his clothes. "Stay in here. There's a speaker so you can listen to the performance. That way, you don't have to leave but you also don't have to face my family right away. Is that alright?"

Bella released the breath she'd been holding. "Yes," she replied.

She heard him walk to the door and flip on the light switch. She blinked against the sudden glare and took a quick glance around the room.

Edward yanked open the door and revealed a smirking Shakes waiting there for him.

"I'll come get you when we're done," he told her over his shoulder as he stepped through the doorway.

Bella nodded her agreement and watched him take off down the hall with Shakes, shaking his head forcefully at whatever his friend was saying to him.

Bella closed the door behind her and took a longer look around the room. She was in a small dressing room. On one wall was an oval mirror surrounded by clear bulbs. A vanity table sat underneath holding an array of pots, brushes, and combs. A small green couch took up the space along the opposite wall, with two club chairs and an empty clothing rack resting along the wall in between.

Bella found the speaker that Edward had indicated on the wall next to the light switch and she quickly turned the dial. The beginning chords and notes of the band's first song wafted through the room and Bella made her way to the couch to sit and listen to the rest of the performance.

She still couldn't believe that they'd let it get so far in such a short amount of time. She never should have reached down into his pants. He had been so utterly irresistible though. The only thought that had been in her mind was to offer him some relief. Instead, she was stuck inside the dressing room and he was on stage, with no relief in sight for either of them.

The consuming lust was easier to control now that she couldn't see him. But, she could hear him loud and clear. The microphone picked up the sounds of the piano and Bella could distinctly hear every note and chord that Edward played. Bella tapped her foot and tried very hard not to think about what she wanted to do to Edward as soon as they got home.

In the middle of the next song, Bella kicked her shoes off and pulled her legs up onto the sofa, stretching out along the length of it. The dressing room she was in must have been close to the stage because she could feel the vibrations from the music pounding up through the wood floor and the sofa underneath her body.

Bella smiled as she pictured Edward again, and the way his body moved against hers when they were alone. She loved how his mouth and hands caressed her body, nipping and tugging on all the right spots. She closed her eyes and moved her hands against her hips in time to the music. It was another slow piece now, and Bella took her time letting her hands slide against the silk of her dress.

She sank even further into the cushions of the sofa and pretended that it was Edward's hands running along her body. That would be a magic trick indeed: Edward playing the piano and her body at the same time.

Bella's hands moved up her torso and over the small mounds of her breasts. She'd forgotten that she had so much skin exposed, and the feel of her small hands against her skin was a surprise. Edward's hands were larger and firmer. Bella sighed and slipped one hand inside the cup of her bra, palming the expanse of her breast easily. She tugged on the nipple experimentally and gasped at the sensation. She pulled harder and bit back a loud moan. This was very different from having Edward's roaming hands exploring her body. She plunged both hands inside and played with her nipples for several minutes, pulling hard, knowing when to stop before the pleasure crossed over to pain.

Edward's music continued to play in the background, and Bella was still wet from her earlier fantasy. The throbbing ache was still there, and Bella was desperate to relieve it. She ground her butt against the sofa cushion, using the same motion that she used when Edward was plunged deep inside.

It didn't produce the same feeling she had when Edward filled her completely.

With a sudden moment of clarity, Bella knew what she needed to do to relieve the ache, but she was nervous. She'd never played with herself, down there, before. Having Edward use his mouth and hands to bring her to completion was one thing. She was embarrassed about trying it herself. She didn't think she could wait until later that night though. Her breaths were already short and choppy and the ache in her pelvis continued to grow the more she listened to the music.

Firming her resolve, Bella slid her hands down her thighs until she reached the hem of her dress. She ghosted it up her legs and over her hips, feeling completely exposed. She reclined against one of the sofa pillows and spread her legs, opening her most private part to the chilly air of the dressing room.

Before she lost her nerve any further, Bella plunged her right hand down into the front of her panties and into her nest of curls. They were damp and hot from her arousal. Bella slipped her fingers into the wetness and explored her folds and crevices. Her fingers were smaller than Edward's, and her touch was slower and gentler. She reached down to her entrance and hesitantly placed the tip of her finger inside. It felt nothing like the plunge of Edward's penis so she pulled her finger back out and slid it up to where she knew she needed to feel it the most.

Her clit was throbbing and swollen, and when her fingertip brushed against it, she gasped aloud at the sensation. She rubbed her finger along the edge, feeling her orgasm building inside of her at an alarming speed.

Bella circled her hips in time with the pounding chords of the piano, wishing that Edward was there with her at that moment, but feeling like he was in the room with her in some small way regardless. She rubbed her clit in small circles, letting the music control the pace. Her clit was hard and smooth, like a pearl. She was so wet that her fingers slipped off the tight nub, making it difficult to maintain the level of friction her body craved. Bella used her other hand to hold her outer lips apart and hold her clit still.

She rubbed her clit slowly at first, letting the pleasure wash over her body. All too soon, the pleasure consumed her and she rubbed her clit furiously until she finally felt her orgasm catch and explode, sending all her limbs and muscles into a frenzied, frozen shock. Her hips continued to gyrate against the sofa as she rode the waves out. Her orgasm seemed to go on and on, and Bella felt her muscles contracting and a thick gush of liquid pouring out of her.

Bella collapsed back onto the sofa, the sounds of her moans still echoing off the walls. Her chest rose and fell quickly from the frantic beat of her heart and her labored attempts at breathing. She was pretty sure that she'd never come so hard or quick as she had just then.

A noticeable amount of dampness distracted her from curling into a ball and falling asleep. She stood up and gasped at the wet spot she found on the sofa. She and Edward had created plenty of wet spots on their beds over the past few weeks, but Bella had assumed it had always been from his ejaculations. The spot she was staring at seemed to prove otherwise.

Bella looked around the room hoping to find a towel or something to dry off the cushion when there was a hesitant knock on the door.

Bella jumped back from the door with her eyes wide. She hadn't thought to relock the door after Edward left, which seemed to be a pretty stupid mistake now. She and Edward had been interrupted once so far, and anyone could have walked in while she was in the middle of what she'd just been doing.

"Bella?" She heard through the door, recognizing Alice's voice.

"Yeah, give me a sec," she called back. Bella gave up on trying to find a towel and opted instead to flip the offending sofa cushion over to hide the spot she'd created. She ran her hands down her dress making sure that everything was covered again. She couldn't do anything about her soaking wet panties.

She opened the door and peeked her head out into the hallway. Alice was alone, so she let her into the dressing room and shut the door behind her.

Alice eyed her up and down before planting her hands on her hips. "Whatcha doing back here all alone, Bella?"

Bella didn't like the smirk she wore on her face. She was suddenly very, very afraid that Alice had heard something that she shouldn't have.

"Uh, well, Edward thought it would be better if I stayed back here for the rest of the set. He said I was a distraction." She squeaked out the last words as Alice's eyes roamed around the room. Bella frantically searched for anything out of place but it all looked normal to her.

"We wondered if there was something wrong when you didn't come back with Edward. Maybe you were sick or something?"

Bella shook her head vehemently, wishing for once that Alice would just go away. "No, I'm fine. Just needed to escape the relatives." She laughed nervously and examined her bare feet against the floor.

Alice's eyes followed her gaze and narrowed in suspicion. "The couch looks pretty comfortable. Were you taking a nap?"

Alice perched on the edge of the sofa where Bella had just moments before experienced her massive orgasm.

"No, I wasn't sleeping."

"Huh." Alice bounced up and down on the sofa experimentally. "I thought maybe you were. I heard some noises out in the hall and thought you were talking in your sleep. You've done that a couple times when you stayed over at our house."

"Have I?" Bella's eyes looked everywhere except directly at Alice. She knew. Alice knew what she'd been doing and was now going to torture her about it.

"Mmm-hmmm. Of course, the sounds I heard were more like moans than actual words."

Bella's shoulders sagged and she caved. "Fine. Just…fine. Ok, Edward got me all hot and bothered during their break and I had to relieve the tension myself. Are you happy?"

"I don't know – are you?" Alice asked with an evil grin.

"Alice," Bella whined. This was worse than the conversation they'd had in the car weeks ago about orgasms. "I don't know what to tell you. I have never been so turned on by the way I was watching Edward play. When he dragged me backstage I thought he was going to, you know, back here? We got interrupted and then he had to go back out on stage and I was left here all alone, still agitated and hot and then I could hear him playing again, and the whole thing just started all over."

Bella went back to examining her toes. Alice was silent and Bella was anxious to hear what type of response Alice would have to her outburst.

"Bella, I really shouldn't give you a hard time. It was the same way with me and Jasper when he started coaching. He would get all testosteroney during the game, and come home raring to go. I would get massively turned on watching him get testosteroney during the game. We almost broke the bed on more than one occasion. And you know the picture that hangs in the front hallway? It's covering a nick in the wall that my heel made. Most houses don't have heel nicks six feet off the ground."

Bella laughed and joined Alice on the couch. "I guess they wouldn't." She felt better after Alice shared that with her. She'd been thinking that she was a freak for getting turned on just from watching Edward perform. But then she remembered that she still had a busload of relatives to face out front. "How bad is it – out there? Do his parents know?"

Alice grimaced. "I don't know about Carlisle and Esme, though I think Esme wouldn't care if you had sex with Edward right on stage if that's what you wanted to do. Jazz and I were sitting with her sisters though, and I heard them snickering behind their hands when Edward came back alone."

Bella flounced back onto the cushions. "Great."

"You don't have to go back out there if you don't want to."

"Yeah, right. I kind of need to get home at some point."

"Listen, I have a plan. I'll go get Jasper and tell him that you're not feeling well. We'll sneak out as soon as Edward's set is over so you don't miss anything. It means that you'll have to leave Edward behind though. Are you ok with that?"

Bella weighed her options. She could either escape the relatives and leave Edward behind, or suffer through the teasing, snide looks and barely concealed contempt of his relatives and wait for him to finish whatever he needed to do after their set.

She sighed, realizing that she was taking the chicken way out. "Yeah, that sounds good. Maybe we should start making our way out now though?"

Alice nodded and walked over to the door. Bella put her shoes back on and followed her down the hallway.

They sneaked through the side door and out into the club, skirting around the outer tables. Alice left her at the back of the club by the bar as she snaked her way through the tables to retrieve their coats and purses. Bella watched as she whispered something to Jasper who nodded his head to whatever she had told him. Alice next tapped Emmett on the shoulder and must have relayed the "Bella isn't feeling well" story because his face instantly looked concerned as he glanced towards the back of the club in her direction. He started to stand as if he was going to walk with Alice towards the exit, but Alice shook her head and pushed him back into his seat.

Bella breathed a sigh of relief. They hadn't made any plans for what she should do if actually confronted about her fake illness. Alice made her way back to the bar and they spent the rest of the song sitting on the stools and enjoying the music. Fortunately, Edward had been so engrossed in his performance that he'd missed the entire exchange.

This song was the last of their set and they were met with thunderous applause when it was over. Most of the patrons stood to show their enjoyment and Jasper used that as his cover to sneak to the bar to Alice and Bella.

Bella was not happy about leaving. Not only did she feel like she was abandoning Edward, she also felt like she was running away from her problems again. Neither idea sat well in her stomach and she truly didn't feel well.

Bella knew that Edward would go looking for her in the dressing room, so she sent him a quick text message explaining things. They had planned on driving back to her place at the end of the night to spend the weekend together, and she didn't want him tearing the club apart looking for her when the time came to leave.

The walk to Jasper's car was quiet. The snow was still falling, but the roads were being cleared and salted just as quickly. It reminded her of the first time Edward had tried to kiss her, which only turned her mood that more melancholy. The night had taken on a surreal quality that made all the sights and sounds around Bella appear muffled and distant.

Bella sat uncomfortably in her skin during the ride home. She felt almost like a snake trying to shed its old layer of skin. She slithered and shook, fighting off whatever darkness threatened to wrap and confine her.

She spoke with Edward briefly after she got home. He'd been disappointed to find her gone already, but agreed that it had probably been for the best after all. He hadn't been immune to his family's whispers and stares either. In this case, it was probably better to give them time to forget the entire incident before parading Bella around at the next family gathering.

Bella was a little surprised when he told her not to wait up. The band wanted to go out and celebrate some more and Edward wanted to join them. Bella didn't have the heart to ask him to come home early just for her so she reassured him that she'd be fine until he came home.

Bella read for a while before deciding just to try to get some sleep. Edward had her spare apartment key and would let himself in whenever he decided to call it a night. Bella felt drained and was grateful for the peaceful sleep that finally claimed her.

***

Edward couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so confident about a performance. The band had really been in the zone, the crowd had been enthusiastic and the owners of the club had loved them. They'd already been invited back the following weekend to perform again.

Christine and Bill, who owned Christine's, had taken the time to sit down with Edward and the rest of the band afterwards and introduce them to some friends of theirs who were in the business. They'd spent a few hours together in one of the back rooms, away from the 10:00 audience so they could talk. There were some producers present, along with some organizers of some jazz festivals that definitely sounded promising.

Edward spent another hour locked up with the band afterwards, talking things through and just generally celebrating a great evening.

It was late by the time he left the club. His family and friends were long gone, along with his girlfriend. His horribly-embarrassed-had-to-leave-early-to-avoid-his-family girlfriend.

Edward wasn't embarrassed about dragging her to the back of the club in full view of his family. He didn't care what they thought about him. He was slightly chagrined that he'd let things go as far as they had in the dressing room. His only thought after charging off the stage had been to get Bella alone. She'd been staring at him throughout the entire first half, and he knew well the look she'd had on her face. He'd been able to feel her gaze through the heat and glare of the lights and it had been a huge turn on.

Shakes had interrupted them and he'd been forced to leave her in the back, as if he was ashamed of her. He didn't like that she felt the need to hide. His family knew that they were in a relationship, and anything beyond that was none of their business.

Well, he'd thought that his family had known that. Rosalie had pulled him aside before she and Emmett left. Her whispered revelations about his mother's sisters made him angry. Edward did not like that they'd taken it upon themselves to talk to her about private matters such as prenuptial agreements and birth control. Good natured teasing was one thing, but Bella had been insulted and no one had come to her defense. Edward planned to make two very important phone calls in the coming week to make his feelings known.

And the next person that called her a "gold-digging tramp" was going to be punched, no matter who they were.

Edward was exhausted. Between the performance, dealing with Bella and his relatives, networking with people who had the potential to advance his career, and getting little to no sleep recently, Edward just wanted to crawl in bed besides Bella and sleep the rest of the weekend away.

They had no plans for the weekend except to spend it together. And alone. That meant no interfering relatives. No drop-ins from Alice or Jessica. In fact, Edward decided at that very moment to lock their phones away so they could enjoy the weekend in peace.

He made the trip to Ingle Heights in good time and cautiously parked the Volvo underneath one of the lights in the parking lot, but away from the other cars. It was almost 3 am and the lot was empty except for him and the falling snow.

Edward quietly let himself into Bella's apartment then locked and bolted the door behind him. She'd left the kitchen light on for him, so he tiptoed in to get a drink of water before turning the light off and heading down the hallway to her bedroom. He pushed open her door and was greeted by the sounds of her light breathing. She wasn't talking yet, so she must not have been dreaming. He placed his overnight bag on the floor next to his side of the bed before heading into the bathroom to finish getting ready.

He yawned as he pulled the covers back and slid in between the warm sheets and next to Bella's body. She sensed his movement even in her sleep and automatically readjusted her position so he could envelop her in his arms. Edward fell asleep with her curls tickling his nose and a smile on his face.

When he woke, he was alone in Bella's bed. The sun shone brightly around the edges of her "black out" curtains, as Edward liked to call them. He teased her all the time about her inability to sleep in a room with any amount of light. He'd been forced to buy a set of "black out" curtains for his own bedroom just last week.

Edward rolled over hoping to find the spot that Bella occupied still warm from her body, but it was chilled through. Edward sighed and sat up, grabbing his watch to see how much of the day he'd slept away.

"Two o'clock!" He yelled, surprised beyond belief. He hadn't slept that late since his college days.

He heard Bella's light footsteps coming down the hall, no doubt in order to investigate his outburst. The smile on her face lit up the room like the sun had been unable to do.

"You're up!" She said with obvious delight. She was wearing her sweat pants and t-shirt that she jokingly called her laundry clothes. She usually only wore them on laundry day.

"I am," Edward replied, thinking that he was up in more ways than one. He looked forward to sharing with her just how very up he was, but she seemed to have other plans.

"Great! Go ahead and take your shower and I'll make us some lunch. Then, I thought you could help me organize the leaning boxes of impending death?"

The leaning boxes of impending death were a tall stack of moving boxes that Bella had never unpacked. Instead, they sat in her living room stacked about six high and threatened to topple over any time you walked past. Edward had given the structure its name one evening when Bella had tripped on a patch of carpet in the living room, thudded hard onto the floor and kicked the bottom box in the process. The boxes had leaned and toppled like mad, as if they were part of a Jenga game. Fortunately, none of them had actually fallen to the floor and on top of Bella, but Edward had suggested that maybe she should do something else with the boxes just in case that ever happened again. Edward didn't want to see her get hurt, and it would probably be worse if something happened to her when she was home alone.

Edward nodded his assent and climbed out from Bella's toasty bed. He was still a little grouchy from his messed up sleeping schedule so he headed straight into the shower to wash away his bad mood.

Edward turned the water on hot and let the steam fill the bathroom. He loved that Bella's shower smelled like her. He climbed in and breathed in deep through his nose, taking in the scent of her body wash and shampoo. Edward had begun keeping his own set of shampoo and soap at her apartment as well. She'd given up one of the corners of the shower just for him. He'd watched her move her conditioner and shampoo to a different spot, and recognized that it was something of a sacrifice for her. She'd shared a bathroom with her father her entire life and had reveled in having her own space once she'd moved out. Now, here was Edward taking up room in her shower. He knew she really didn't mind though. He'd caught her one day last week sniffing his shampoo. She was just as affected by his scent as he was hers.

His shower was quick and efficient once he'd let his morning, no afternoon, bad mood out. Edward liked the idea of washing away a bad attitude. It seemed like a good way to start the day. He changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before heading out to find Bella.

She was, of course, in the kitchen. She'd spent a lot of time making dinners for them once they'd started dating. She loved to cook and seemed to know hundreds of recipes from memory. Edward's favorite meal so far had been her lasagna. She'd also made the same garlic bread that she'd dumped all over her coat that night at Alice and Jasper's so long ago. Edward watched her now, putting together some sandwiches and stirring a pot of soup. Their almost but not quite first kiss seemed like years ago now. He had a hard time believing that this woman had only been in his life for three short months.

"Hey," he said before walking into the kitchen. Edward had discovered that she was easily startled and didn't like being snuck up on.

She smiled at his entry and nodded towards the bowls she'd already set out on the counter.

"Can you bring me those? And put the sandwich plate on the table?"

Edward followed her instructions and poured them some iced tea to go with their lunch. He liked working together with her like this, as if they were a team.

She brought two bowls of steaming soup over and placed them on the table.

"I love tomato soup," Edward told her before digging in.

"You say that about everything I make."

"That's because everything you make is great," Edward replied trying not to drip the soup down his chin while he talked.

They chatted about their non-plans for the rest of the weekend while they ate and things they had coming up in the weeks to come. Edward noticed that Bella seemed nervous about something. She kept putting her spoon down on her plate as if she was done, but would then pick it up again. He hoped she wasn't still upset about last night. He'd have to tell her that he would take care of his relatives.

She beat him to the punch, but what she said wasn't what he was expecting.

"I talked to Charlie last week and he wants me to bring you home for Christmas."

It was Edward's turn to put his spoon down on his plate. Bella still looked nervous, as if she expected him to blow up at her. Edward wasn't sure why he hadn't realized that something like this would have to happen at some point. Maybe it was because she fit so easily in with his own family that he forgot that she had family of her own elsewhere. He'd been spared the awkward family visits up until that point, but Bella had been suffering through his family for several days. It seemed only fair that he return the favor.

He had to make sure that this was what Bella wanted, first.

"Do you want me to go home with you for Christmas?"

Bella smiled then and took his hand. "Absolutely. I'd really like to show you where I grew up, Edward."

"Then, yes. I'd like to go to Forks with you for Christmas." Edward was already calculating in his head how much two plane tickets would cost, the best travel days, which airport to fly in and out of and whether to park his car in long term parking at the airport or to get his brother to drop them off.

"Thank you, Edward!" Bella jumped up off her chair and into his lap before he could figure out how to ship a present to her father without it being delivered before they arrived. He was still thinking as Bella placed small kisses around his mouth, but his brain finally shut off when her mouth smacked firmly against his. He smiled against her lips and let her show him her appreciation for several minutes.

Edward couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. "You're pretty excited about this trip. Did you think I would say no?"

Her blush said it all. He found it endearing that she seemed not so confident about their relationship at times. It just gave him that many more chances to show her just how much she meant to him.

"I wasn't sure. I was afraid you might thing it was too soon, plus I know your mom was looking forward to having you home for Christmas this year and now here I am dragging you away."

"Bella, look at me." Edward tilted her chin up with his fingers. She tended to look at the floor when she was talking about something uncomfortable. He'd prefer it if she looked at him instead. "It's not too soon. You know how I feel about you. That's not going to change. And let me deal with my mother, and the rest of my family for that matter."

Her eyes were a little moist, but Edward was glad that she managed to hold the tears back. He hated to see her cry, even if it was just from emotions at times like these.

"Ok. I'll go call Charlie and let him know we're coming." She made to move off his lap, but his strong arms kept her in place instead.

"I locked away our phones, remember? It's just you and me this weekend."

"Edward, it's just my dad." There was a hint of a whine to her voice that reminded Edward of Alice back in high school.

"Doesn't matter. It's just you and me." He punctuated each word with a kiss to her lips, hoping to drive his point home. She finally nodded in agreement and snuggled against him. Edward rubbed her back while they sat in contemplation for a few minutes.

"Why didn't you tell me that my aunts had said some unkind things to you?" He wanted to air this particular business immediately. He needed her to know that their attitudes were not a reflection of his entire family.

"I didn't want to bother you with it. I thought it better just to ignore them."

"Unfortunately, in this case, we're going to have to confront them head on. I won't let them talk to you like that. And I don't want you to think it's just about you, because it's not. They've been holding a grudge against my mom for years and this is just an extension of that old argument."

"I really wanted your family to like me, Edward," she said quietly.

"And they do like you. I think they're all in love with you actually, Irina and Jane aside. One of my cousins, and I won't tell you which one, actually told me that he was going to try to steal you away from me."

That got a laugh out of Bella, which was Edward's goal. He didn't like to see her unhappy or sad.

"Bella, you have to know that I don't care what any of my relatives think. All that matters is how we feel about each other."

Edward stood up and Bella's legs dropped to the floor alongside his. He hugged her close for a few minutes, just cherishing the time they had to spend together, alone.

"Do you want to get started on the boxes now?"

"Yes."

They made their way into the living room and they each grabbed a box off the leaning pile and placed it on the floor. They sat together on the floor, going through the boxes. Bella made several piles as they pulled the items out so they could be easily distributed later.

Edward enjoyed going through her things with her. It was like a peek into her diary. Each object, stack of papers, or refrigerator magnet revealed something new about Bella. Most items were easy to identify. The first box contained a third place ribbon from her 5th grade spelling bee, several packs of playing cards, a curious amount of unopened art supplies, and a collection of matchbox cars.

The next box was filled with photo albums, loose snapshots, and several framed pictures. That box was put aside for last. Edward was looking forward to seeing some of her baby pictures for a change.

The next box was a little larger and heavier than the other two had been. Edward cut through the packing tape and found out why.

"You have a ton of books!"

Bella laughed and scooted across the carpet to sit closer to him.

"These are just the books I brought with me. I left a lot behind, but I wanted to bring my favorites along. There should be two more boxes just like this one."

Edward quickly pulled down the next two boxes and opened them, revealing several more stacks of books. He pulled a few out and scanned through the titles, recognizing most of the books as ones he'd been forced to read during high school. He shook his head at her definition of "favorites." If pressed, Edward would have chosen the John Adams biography or The Complete Calvin and Hobbes as favorites.

"What do you plan on doing with these?" She didn't have any place to put what looked to be about 200 books in her apartment. She had very little furniture and certainly no book shelves.

When she didn't answer immediately, he turned his head to see what she was doing. Her eyes were open wide, staring at him innocently and she'd trapped her sexy bottom lip with her top teeth. Edward was forced to hold back his chuckle when he recognized what she was trying to do.

"I was hoping that my super handsome, super strong boyfriend would help me put together the book shelves that I want to go to Target and purchase. Maybe he could help carry them up the stairs and into my apartment too?"

She ran her hand up his arm and curled it around his bicep. Edward's chest shook from his contained laughter. Her attempt to sweet talk him was unnecessary, but he appreciated the effort. He would have done her bidding had she only pointed and grunted her instructions.

"Your boyfriend is more than happy to help you with anything you need." He leaned down and lightly pressed his lips to her, not being able to resist the bottom lip she'd been teasing for the past few minutes.

The final box was a boring assortment of kitchen wares that Bella had never unpacked since her kitchen was so small. Well, Edward found them boring but Bella jumped up excitedly when she found them and immediately dragged the box towards the kitchen in order to try to find room for them again.

While she did that, Edward moved the book boxes to the empty corner of the room and checked on her cactus while he was there. He was impressed that she'd managed to keep the plant alive for so long. She'd seemed nervous at first, having mentioned a few plants that hadn't survived beyond their budding stage.

Edward folded up the empty boxes and placed them in the back of the hall closet in case she needed to use them again. He distributed some of the piles to the places that Bella had assigned them to, and then tackled the one box that they'd left for last. He picked it up and carried it to the kitchen table so he could go through it and be near Bella at the same time.

He pulled a white photo album off the top meaning to go through that first but was distracted by a pile of letters that he found underneath.

There were about twenty of them, yellowed and crinkled with age, wrapped in just a plain rubberband that looked like it would snap at any moment from being so dry and brittle. The envelopes looked like business envelopes, but when Edward turned the pile over and flipped through it quickly, he saw the same name written over and over on each one.

"Is Renee Higginbotham your mom?" He asked, knowing that he must be right.

Bella's head peaked over the edge of the counter she'd been crouched behind, probably trying to make room for the baking pan she held in her hand.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" She put the pan down and walked around the counter to see what he was doing.

"You've got all these old letters of hers. I was just curious." Edward placed the pile into Bella's outstretched hand so she could examine them herself.

She flipped through the pile just as Edward had, and pointed to the return address that Edward had previously ignored.

"These are all from my dad. I'd forgotten I had these. My dad was away at the police academy when my mom found out she was pregnant. He'd been sending her all these beautiful love letters for weeks while they were separated. She ended up calling him halfway through his training class to break the news that he was going to be a dad. I've read all the letters, Edward, and it's heartbreaking to see the joy and happiness that just radiates off the page from Charlie. He loved her so much, and he was so excited that they were going to have a baby. Before the news, his letters were filled with how much he loved and missed her, and filling her in on what life was like at the academy. The difference after he found out he was going to be a father is amazing. Suddenly, he's full of plans of when they're going to get married and how to raise the baby, and maybe he shouldn't take the Seattle job because that wasn't a good place to raise a family. It was like he matured over night from a love sick boy into this responsible adult. I think it scared my mom."

Edward watched as she pulled off the rubberband, which did indeed snap in half from being so old. She shuffled through the letters, counting them off as she went.

"Why doesn't your mom have the letters?" Edward was surprised that they'd ended up in Bella's possession after all this time.

Bella snorted and placed the pile on the table. She pulled out the chair and sat down with him. "When she left, the only things she took with her were her wallet, the clothes she was wearing, and the car. Charlie had to drive the police cruiser around town for months afterwards until he could afford to replace the car she'd taken. I found a box of her things in the attic one summer when I was 8 or 9, including these letters. I spent an entire afternoon reading through all of them. They'd seemed so romantic to me at the time. And it was nice having tangible proof that my parents were actually in love at some point in their lives. Charlie had gotten rid of a bunch of stuff when she left including pictures and other mementos from their time together. This seemed like the only thing I had to remind me that there was a time when they were in love and happy together."

Edward leaned his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his palm. "I don't think my parents have ever been separated for any length of time. I'd be curious to see what kind of love letters they might have written to one another." Edward was also sure that he wouldn't want to read any that his dad would write. They'd probably be filled with explicit details of what he planned to do with his wife and that was something that Edward never wanted to read.

"It's kind of sad that email and text messaging have taken that away from us. I mean – who sends a love letter over the phone?"

"Is that really necessary anymore though? It's not like most couples spend any long periods of time away from one another without some method of communication. It seems redundant to drop your girl off at her door then rush home to write her a letter to tell her how much you love and miss her." Maybe Edward was missing the point, but he couldn't figure out what the big deal was about a love letter anyway.

"I was just making an observation. It's just one of those things that technology has made obsolete. Like clocks."

Edward chuckled and shook his head at her. "Clocks?"

Bella stood and walked back into the kitchen, tying her hair back and off her neck on the way. Edward was momentarily distracted by one of his favorite Bella body parts.

"Sure – clocks. Everyone has a cell phone that tells you the time, so why do we need clocks?"

Edward moved the box closer so he could paw through it some more. "I'm sure the inventor of the pocket watch thought the same thing. 'We don't need clocks anymore!'"

Bella laughed and tossed an oven mitt in his direction. She had horrible aim and it ended up in the living room instead.

"Don't make fun of me. You know I make sense."

"You usually do," Edward replied, emphasizing the second word. He pulled out two more photo albums and set them with the other one he'd removed earlier. At the bottom of the box were several framed pictures that Edward pulled out eagerly. He was anxious to see what Bella looked like as a child.

The first frame held a picture of a man that was most likely Bella's father. They had the same hair and eyes, and the man was dressed in a police uniform. Edward was glad he'd found a picture of her dad. He needed to start preparing now to meet her father.

The next picture he pulled out made him laugh. "Isn't this Mr. Fluffynutters?" He'd been amused to discover that Bella slept with a stuffed rabbit hiding underneath her pillow. She'd claimed that she'd forgotten he was there and had placed the stuffed animal on her dresser instead, but Edward had found it under her pillow again a week later.

Another oven mitt was lobbed in his direction and this one at least landed a little closer to where he was sitting. "I don't think the Cubs will be calling you up any time soon, Bella." The look she gave him made it obvious that she had no idea who the Cubs were. He'd have to educate her once the season started again next spring.

He was still laughing when he pulled out the last picture, but the smile soon disappeared from his face. He stared at the picture for a few minutes and tried to decipher exactly who and what he was looking at. Edward recognized Bella. She stood on the right side of the picture, dressed in a pair of overalls, white t-shirt and a green and black flannel shirt. She looked to be in her mid teens, but he couldn't tell for certain.

It was the man standing on the left side of the picture that confused him. Perhaps man was the wrong word. He looked more like a boy after Edward squinted at the picture some more. He was a Native American, which wasn't surprising. Bella talked about La Push all the time. His long black hair hung to his shoulders, which were bare since the only clothing he wore was a pair of cutoffs. He had his arm wrapped protectively around Bella, but that wasn't even the most troubling part about the whole scene.

The part that confused Edward the most was the look of pure love and adoration on Bella's face as she stared at the man standing next to her. Her…friend or whoever he was stared unblinkingly into the lens of the camera, but Bella's eyes were intently locked on the boy's face.

Edward recognized the look on her face, but up until that moment, he'd assumed that he'd been the only one to ever be on the receiving end. He knew that he hadn't been her first lover, so she must have been involved with someone at some point. But she never talked about old boyfriends or any friends at all actually. Was this boy, the one who clutched her so tightly to his half-naked form, the one that she'd been with before him?

Edward was confused and knew only one way to get unconfused.

"Bella?" He called, holding the picture out so she could see it when she turned around.

She bounded over from the kitchen with a smile on her face, clearly not detecting the undercurrents of confusion and anger that subtly radiated from Edward.

He could tell the moment she got close enough to see the picture he was holding. Her smile disappeared and the blood drained from her face.

"Who's this?" Edward asked, stabbing the picture of the man standing so closely to the woman that he so desperately loved.

"Oh, shit," Bella whispered.


	21. Chapter 21

DISCLAIMER: I still do not own anything Twilight. It all belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

Bella sat down in the chair at her kitchen table, grateful it was there at all. She thought that she might have just crumpled to the ground without it.

How could she have been so stupid? Of course Edward was going to come across a picture of Jacob at some point. Why hadn't she told him about Jacob already? She hadn't meant for him to find out this way. She'd been putting the discussion off and she was doubly sorry that she had now. Not only did she have to explain about Jacob now, she also had to calm an obviously angry and hurt Edward.

He'd slammed the picture down on the table and sat back in his chair. His arms were folded across his chest and his eyes were dark and angry. Edward had apparently jumped to some conclusions and Bella felt it best to get rid of those first thing.

"He's not what you think," she started.

"I don't think you know what I'm thinking right now," Edward countered.

Bella stared at her shoes instead of Edward. She couldn't stand to look at the expression of hurt on his face anymore.

"His name is Jacob. He was my best friend."

"Why haven't you mentioned him before?"

"It's complicated."

"We have all weekend to uncomplicate it."

Bella chanced a look at his face. His mouth was set in a flat line, but he didn't look quite so angry anymore. She could tell that he was fiercely determined to hash this out with her though.

"Jacob was my best friend – my only friend, really. We grew up together. He taught me how to skip stones across the river and cliff dive. I showed him how to color within the lines and build blanket forts."

"Sounds charming," Edward snapped, clearly unimpressed with her childhood recollections so far.

His anger fueled her own. "Hey! I'm not the only one who kept a secret! The only reason I know about Tanya is because your mom let her name slip out. I probably still wouldn't know anything about her if she hadn't said something."

Her outburst seemed to break through a piece of Edward's anger. His shoulders sagged and his mouth turned downwards into a frown. "I'm…sorry. Please, continue." Bella knew that he was only sorry for snapping at her. He wasn't sorry for keeping his own secrets, but they could deal with that later.

"Thank you," Bella said quietly. She knew it was difficult for him to apologize at all. He had so much pride sometimes.

"My point is that we were always close. When we got older, my feelings towards him started to change. I had hoped that we would be something more than friends, but that was not apparently what Jacob wanted."

Bella stared at the picture and recalled perfectly the day that it was taken. It was her 17th birthday and she'd just begun her junior year at FHS. She could see why Edward might be angry looking at this particular photo. Her dad had caught her off guard, so she was staring at Jacob instead of the camera. She couldn't believe that Jacob had never realized how she felt. Her thoughts and feelings were written plainly across her face.

"I loved him, or so I thought. For years, I waited for him to realize that he loved me too. I stayed home and went to the local college instead of going away so I could keep close to Jacob. I never dated. The only man I was interested in was Jacob, and he was just not interested in me. But I never gave up hope that he'd realize that we were supposed to be together."

Edward turned the picture over so it was face down on the table now. He was angry again and Bella desperately wanted to take that away.

"Edward, I didn't know what I was doing when I was a teenager. I thought I loved him. I realize now that it wasn't love. It was just an infatuation that dragged on for years longer than it should have. Because I was scared. But, I'm more scared now about how upset you are than I ever was about any of my feelings about Jacob. Because, Edward, I love you. There's never been any one else who has come close to making me feel the things that I do when I'm with you. You're the most important part of my life. And you have no idea how sorry I am that I didn't mention him sooner…"

"That's the part I'm angry about, Bella!" Edward shouted, standing and knocking the chair over in the process. He strode across the room and back again, his strides long and filled with hurt.

"I know!" She shouted back, regretting it instantly. She didn't want to yell at him, and she certainly didn't want Edward yelling at her. "I'm sorry," she said, more softly this time. "It's just…"

Edward strode back into the room and righted the chair he'd knocked down. He placed his hands on the back of it and hung his head down, staring at his hands.

"What?" He asked, thankfully lowering his voice as well. "Tell me what it is. What made you keep this part of your life from me? Are you still….do you still think you're in love with him?" His voice cracked when he asked the question, and it broke her heart to realize how much pain she was causing him.

"No, Edward, no!" She told him emphatically. "I'm not. Jacob is the reason I'm here, in Bear Lake. I took the job at Cullen Academy because it was the farthest I could physically get away from him. I couldn't stand being near him anymore, and I'd begun to realize that he wasn't ever going to return any of the feelings I thought I had for him. I came here to make a new life for myself, to start over. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to know about that part of me, the old Bella who wasted years of her life because she couldn't get her head together. I just wanted you to know ME – this Bella - because this is who I really am, not that sad, pathetic girl I left behind in Forks."

"Bella, I want to know all of you, even the bad parts. We can't pick and choose which parts we want to reveal to each other. We just have to hope, pray, and trust that we're accepted for who we are. And Bella, I would still love you no matter what unpleasant pieces of your past came out. Because that's just how you and I work. But we have to be able to trust one another in order to do that. You didn't trust me."

"Yeah, well, you didn't trust me either. Were you ever going to tell me about Tanya?"

"Yes, I was. But that was different. She never had a piece of my life or my love. You, however, were involved with this man for your entire life, and you did share your love with him. And you never even mentioned him. I asked about your friends back home. I specifically asked about them, and you lied. You told me you didn't really have any friends. I can't stand being lied to, Bella."

Her name on his lips was like a curse word now. It sent a pang straight to her heart the way he so heartlessly said her name. It used to sound like a caress, the way he would breathe her name out as if it came straight from his heart. Her name was said now with such anger and force as if he didn't want to waste any time with her name on his lips.

"Edward, I'm sorry. I'm a million times sorry. I don't know how many times you expect me to say it. But, I need you to understand that Jacob is not a part of my life now. He hasn't been for a while. You are the most important part of my life and I can't stand the thought of you not being in my life. I gave Jacob up because I knew that I could survive without him. I don't think I could survive without you."

Bella was crying now, while she laid her soul bare. She never thought that Edward would be so upset about this. She'd thought only to protect her pride by keeping this from him, but she realized now that she couldn't keep any part of her soul from him. Her soul belonged to Edward now and it was up to him how they would proceed.

They were both silent now, sifting through their own thoughts and feelings. Bella sat in her chair with tears streaming down her face, watching Edward grip the backrest of his chair. She didn't think she could ever forgive herself if they broke up over something like this. Something that would have been remedied so easily had she just been honest with him from the beginning. Bella was ashamed of her behavior now and could only pray that Edward would see reason. They could get past this; he just needed to forgive her.

Edward finally relaxed his grip, pulled the chair out and sat down. His slow movements were reminiscent of someone who had just come home from a weary journey. He took his time bending and flexing his long limbs. He leaned against the back rest as if he hadn't rested for days. Despite his worn-down appearance, Bella felt a spark of hope blossom in her chest. He wouldn't be settling in if he didn't plan on staying for a while. If he wasn't able to get past this, their first argument, he would have left by now. His actions spoke volumes and Bella resolved her heart and mind to get through whatever was in store for them.

"Bella," he finally spoke, almost in a whisper, "I love you. But, I need to be able to trust you. Between Tanya, my own family's apparent ability to throw me to the wolves, and everyone else I've ever crossed paths with who only saw me as the means to an end, I have problems trusting people. I thought I could trust you. You have such a guileless disposition that I've always thought that with you, I knew everything about you. Yet, here I am discovering that I knew nothing about a part of your life that has shaped you so dramatically. Please tell me that I can trust you. Please."

"Edward," Bella murmured standing up to go to him. She grabbed his hand to gain his attention. She wanted to look into his eyes, to see into the depths of his soul. His head lifted slowly and his dark liquid irises stared deep into her brown eyes. "You can trust me. I would never do anything to harm you. I would never desert you. And I would never, ever, ask you for anything that you're not willing to give. I love you so much."

Edward pulled her down onto his lap and buried his face into her hair. Bella wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held on as he clutched her tightly. His breaths were uneven, but she didn't think that he was crying. He just seemed to be taking the time to gain control of his emotions. Bella knew that her own had reached epic proportions, so his were probably running high as well. She rubbed her hand across his back as he began to calm down. They were going to be ok.

When Edward lifted his head, he took her face in his hands and kissed her lips gently.

"Tell me about Jacob," he said.

Bella blinked in surprise. She thought that Jacob would be the last person he would want to talk about.

"Are you sure?" She asked, uncertain that this was how he really wanted to proceed.

"Yes. He was a big part of your life. I want to know about him."

Bella frowned in concentration, trying to decide where to begin. "Jacob's dad and Charlie are best friends. They've been friends since they were kids, so it only made sense that Jacob and I would spend a lot of time together. He's two years younger than me. Um…we didn't go to school together because he went to school on the Reservation, because he's Native American?"

Edward nodded his understanding so far, and Bella continued to fill him in on their childhood together and into the awkward teenage years. Bella didn't go into too much detail about her thoughts and feelings about Jacob during that time. She sensed that Edward really didn't want the nitty gritty. She told him about college and then spending the summer after college trying to stay close to Forks. Edward already knew the part about her accepting the job at Cullen Academy, but he was very interested when she started talking about the Get Rid of Jacob Plan.

"Wait, so Alice knew all about this? I can't believe she never told me."

Bella knew that she had to rush to Alice's defense. "I asked her not to. She told me repeatedly that I needed to tell you about Jacob, but we both know how well I followed her advice."

Bella finished up with her last conversation with Jacob and his unsuccessful attempts to contact her after that.

"You haven't talked to or heard from him since?"

Bella shook her head. "Charlie told me that he's living in Port Angeles now, working at the new garage that his boss opened. That's the last I've heard about him. My dad doesn't bring him up and I don't ask. It's just easier that way."

Edward was quiet for a moment. "You know you're going to have to talk to him again at some point though, right?"

Bella sat back in disbelief. "What? You're not serious." After everything they'd just gone through, and everything she'd told him, he wanted her to contact Jacob?

Edward shrugged. "It seems to me that you need closure. Real closure. Cutting off communication is the same thing as running away, which is something we both have experience with. You're going to have to talk to him and finally close the book on that chapter of your life. You'll feel better after you do."

"Who said that I don't feel good about it?"

"I can tell by the way you talk about him. Look, I don't want you to have anything to do with the guy. You have no idea how much I don't want you talking to him again, but I think it's necessary. Maybe you can do it when we go to Forks for Christmas. It will give me the chance to meet him too." Edward smiled then, but it was a small smile that Bella knew she wasn't meant to see.

She was more distracted by his other revelation though. "You still want to go home with me for Christmas then?" This was the biggest amount of proof she'd received that they were back on track.

"Of course I do. I have even more incentive now. It will do your friend some good to realize that you're taken now."

"Edward," Bella said, smiling for the first time since their argument had begun. "I'm glad to know that I'm still taken."

"You are indeed. You are mine," he whispered into her ear before nuzzling it with his mouth.

Bella sighed and relaxed into his embrace. "And you are mine," she whispered back, giving herself over to the arousal that Edward was inciting. His hands skimmed her body while his mouth nipped at her mouth. Their lips met in searing, gentle kisses that said more than words the depth of their feelings.

Bella shrieked when Edward stood and lifted her easily into his arms. "What are you doing?" She asked as he made his way to her bedroom.

"Isn't obvious? We just had our first argument so now it's time for makeup sex."

"Edward! Put me down! I can walk." She swatted ineffectively at his shoulders.

"I know that. But carrying you gives me the excuse to hold you close against my body and it also puts you at my mercy." His eyes twinkled devilishly at her as he entered her room and placed her gently in the middle of her bed.

Bella leaned back on her elbows so she could watch him. He tugged his shirt off in one fluid movement but what she said next stilled his hand against the button of his jeans.

"I've never had makeup sex before." Bella was ready to lay everything out for him now. Her entire life, even the ugly bits, would be spread out for his examination. She couldn't hold any part of her soul back from him anymore.

His green eyes raked her features as she waited for a response. She felt the heat of his gaze on her lips, down across her breasts and to the juncture of her thighs. He removed his hands from his pants and instead placed them on her bed so he could crawl up the length of her body to hover over top of her body in repose. Bella was forced to lean back even further so she could see his face.

"What else have you never done, Isabella?" Edward whispered while nuzzling his nose against her cheek.

"Lots of things," she squeaked. He would probably know better than her what types of things she'd never done.

"Bella, please tell me. If Jacob never…then who…?" Edward let the question trail off, but Bella knew what he wanted to know. He placed kisses along her jaw while he waited.

"Just a boy from school. I never had a boyfriend before you, Edward. The first time we made love…it was only my second time. And I'd never, uh, climaxed before." Bella whispered the words, not wanting to break the spell that had woven around them in her bedroom.

Edward went still and Bella was afraid that she'd made him angry. Did people really talk about their past experiences while they were in the moment? To Bella, it seemed like a mood killer. Perhaps it was having the same effect on Edward.

He moved so quickly Bella had no time to react. Edward crushed his mouth down onto hers and slid his tongue inside. When she realized that her confessions had fueled him with lust instead of repulsion, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his welcome weight down on top of her. His arousal fed her own and she was soon writhing underneath him.

He ripped his lips away from hers the moment she pushed her hips up against his bulging erection. "What else? Tell me what else."

Bella stared at him in confusion, and then realized that he was still in the midst of their conversation. She thought they had moved past that, but she racked her brain quickly for something else to tell him. "Oral sex," she blurted, feeling the rush of her embarrassment blossom across her skin. She closed her eyes against that feeling of embarrassment. She had vowed to share everything with him, and she was going to stick to her promise.

Edward pressed his jean-clad hips incessantly against hers, and Bella spread her thighs and let him settle into the cradle of her hips. She could feel the bulge of his erection clearly now through her sweat pants and she undulated against it.

Edward lifted his head from where he'd been placing open-mouthed kisses along her collarbone above the edge of her t-shirt. "Masturbation?" He asked before returning his mouth to the taut skin of her chest.

Bella gasped aloud and froze. Everything else that she had shared with him thus far had been embarrassing, but if he forced that confession out of her, Bella didn't think that she'd be able to look him in the eye ever again. She was already rethinking her vow to share everything with Edward and it had only been a few minutes. It didn't bode well for their future.

He sensed the change in her demeanor and he instantly pulled away so he could look into her eyes.

Bella was scared. What she'd done last night had felt good, but she didn't want to admit that to anyone, especially Edward.

Edward's mouth turned up in a grin as he stared into her eyes. "You have, haven't you?"

Bella paused and felt her resolve break. The little nagging voice in her head reminded her that she had to be honest with him from here on out. She nodded her head, not trusting her voice to air the words that brought her such embarrassment.

Edward sat back on his haunches and raked her entire body with his gaze. "Do you do it often?"

Edward was a smart man, and he was able to put the pieces together easily. She'd already admitted that he'd given her her first orgasm. So, she must have performed her self-loving some time after they started dating. Because of his rehearsal schedule, they hadn't spent every night together so he was probably imagining all types of scenarios of how she filled the time when she was alone. And nothing could be farther from the truth. Most nights she just did her crossword puzzle before going to bed. It hadn't occurred to her until last night to try to ease the ache in her loins.

"No," Bella whispered gathering the strength she would need to finish the conversation that she had actually started. "Only once."

"Did you enjoy it?" Edward asked.

She watched his hand reach down to his jeans and rearrange his erection. She was already wet from the foreplay and the turn their conversation had taken. She could only imagine the state of his arousal.

"Yes," she finally answered, "But it wasn't the same without you."

Edward sucked in a breath and Bella was entranced by the play of his abdominal muscles when he did so.

"Tell me about it," Edward said as he climbed off the bed.

"Where are you going?" Bella asked, her voice climbing in alarm.

Instead of a reply, Edward plucked her off the bed easily and stood her up next to it. He pulled her t-shirt off over her head and tossed it to the floor, then dragged her sweatpants down and off just as quickly. She stood before him in her underwear but she felt entirely naked. He ran his hands up and down her arms turning her skin to goosebumps.

"I want to know how you touched yourself. Tell me what you did to get off." His thumbs dug grooves into her skin now as his fingers trailed up and down her arms.

"I don't think I can do that," Bella stammered. It was one thing to admit to it, but she didn't think she had the guts to go into the gory details.

Edward pulled her into the comfort of his arms and Bella relaxed. She had apparently been granted a reprieve. Maybe they could move onto the makeup sex now. Somehow they had gotten distracted from their initial purpose.

Of course, Edward had other ideas.

"Were you in your room? Did you think of me? Was there music playing?"

Bella sighed and placed her forehead on Edward's shoulder. He was not going to stop asking questions until he knew it all. He was too stubborn for his own good.

"It was last night," Bella finally admitted, deciding just to go ahead and tell him everything. The sooner they moved past this the sooner they could get the sexing on.

"You left me alone in that dressing room at the club, and I had never been so turned on in my entire life. I listened to your band and I touched myself and I exploded and can we please talk about something else now because I don't think I can tell you anything else."

Edward ran his hand up and down her back soothingly and Bella relaxed once again into his embrace. His fingers deftly unhooked her bra and removed it, tossing it to the floor with the rest of her clothes. Bella sighed and slid her hands along the waistband of his jeans, only to have Edward stop her fingers at the button.

Bella growled and shot him an angry glare. "Edward, enough. I need you now. Please don't make me tell you anything else." She was beginning to get angry. She could only be pushed so far and she had finally reached her limit.

"I'm sorry, baby. I need to leave my jeans on for now. You've got me so hot that I'm going to fuck you senseless if I take them off now. I want to love you a little first. Please let me love you." His mouth moved to her neck and all thoughts of anger and embarrassment left her body. She would definitely let him love her.

Her underwear quickly joined the rest of her clothes and Edward placed her naked body gently onto the bed once again. He showed her his love in so many ways. Her ears and neck received love, as did her collarbone and breasts. Her stomach and hip bones, and the length of her legs from ankle on up received his love.

By the time his hot steamy mouth reached her sex, she was bursting with his love from head to toe. All except the one area that craved it most.

"Edward, please," she told him now. She couldn't take being teased any more.

He surprised her by kissing her mound once and then sliding up her body to lie next to her. His hands, however, took over where his mouth had left off.

She felt his forefinger slip into her folds and into the juices that she'd been secreting for what felt like days. He brushed gently against her clit and Bella sighed in relief.

"Is this what you did last night, Bella? You used your finger to touch yourself?" Edward, stubborn man that he was, had not been willing to let the conversation go after all. Thankfully, Bella was so aroused by this point that she just didn't care any more. She nodded her head encouraging him to continue.

"I wish there was a mirror in here so I could show you how beautiful you look when you're aroused. You wouldn't be embarrassed any more. We could sit on the bed together, and I'd watch you in the mirror as you watched your hands touching your soft folds, flicking against your nub and sinking your digits into your depths. I've never seen anything more beautiful." Bella moaned as his actions matched his words. She rode his strong fingers as they pulsed inside of her. His thumb flicked against her nub repeatedly and Bella used her hips to push back against his onslaught.

Bella was so close to her orgasm and she whimpered as she neared the edge. Her sounds must have pushed Edward past his own line of no return because he suddenly removed his hand from her moist sex, turned his body around and attacked her clit with his tongue.

She could feel his nose bumping along her folds from this position and his bulging erection was planted directly in front of her face. His mouth fed greedily upon her body and his attempts at breathing were marred by the dampness down below. Bella grabbed his hips and mouthed his denim-covered penis, trying to devour him through the stiff cloth. She could smell his musky scent and felt the heat of his arousal even through his jeans.

Edward yelped loudly and attacked her sex with a renewed fervor. His fingers plunged back into her body and Bella felt her orgasm frantically rise and break. She called out his name and clamped down hard onto his digits, trapping them inside and coating them with a new flow of juices.

She came down slowly, her mouth panting heavily against the dampened front of Edward's jeans. Edward slurped and licked at her juices and Bella tried not to crush his head in between her thighs as her body loosened and calmed from her orgasm.

"Edward," she finally murmured, "I love your tongue and your fingers, but I need your cock now."

In a flash, Edward was off the bed and ripping his jeans and boxers off. He climbed back onto the bed, spread her thighs wide and plunged the cock that Bella had asked for deep into her body.

Bella bowed from the intrusion and frantically bucked her hips trying to keep up with Edward's relentless rhythm. He hadn't been lying when he told her that he would attack her as soon as his pants came off. He leaned down to take her nipples into his mouth, sucking them in hard and nipping them with his teeth. He released them with a pop and smashed his mouth down onto hers, plunging his tongue inside to the rhythm of his hips. Bella tasted her juices on his tongue and whimpered into his mouth.

Edward's body had turned into a machine. He held most of his weight off her body by leaning down onto his hands but her hips bore the brunt of his unrestrained arousal. He plunged inside, over and over, until Bella couldn't even try to keep pace with him anymore. He slid one of his hands underneath her ass and angled her for a deeper intrusion.

Whatever he did triggered another orgasm for Bella, and with a shout Edward pulsed once more into her body and shot out his pleasure into her waiting womb.

He collapsed heavily on top of her body and Bella wrapped her arms protectively around him.

Edward had been right about so many things that day, but he'd been especially right about makeup sex. It was pretty fucking good.

***

They spent the rest of their weekend wrapped in the protective bubble of their renewed trust and love. They only ventured outside of Bella's apartment once and that was to pick up the bookcases from Target that Bella wanted. Just as Edward had promised, he carried the heavy boxes up the stairs and they spent several hours on Sunday putting them together and arranging her book collection.

Now that she could speak freely about Jacob, Bella did just that. She told Edward numerous stories about life in Forks. She wanted him to have a sense of what it was like growing up in a small town with the police chief as her dad and a loud and outgoing soul as a best friend. Edward listened attentively to her stories and Bella grew more relaxed and relieved as the hours passed. She'd been right: she did feel like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She and Edward could move forward now.

She continued to plan things for them to do together in Forks, with a few side trips planned to Port Angeles and Seattle as well. The only place she wasn't sure about taking him was La Push. Bella was going to have to see Jacob at some point during their trip, and while he didn't even live in La Push anymore, the entire Reservation was filled with so many memories that were specific to him, she felt awkward taking Edward with her.

But Edward had said that he wanted to know everything about her life now, and that included all those memories. So, she'd take him to meet Jacob's family. She'd take him to First Beach. And eventually, she'd take him to meet Jacob.

Sunday evening brought an end to their seclusion. Edward retrieved their cell phones from the bottom of his bag before he left. Their kiss goodbye was long and sweet. Bella didn't think it possible, but she'd fallen even more in love with Edward that weekend. The look in his eyes as he walked away, regretfully letting her fingers go at the last possible moment told her that he felt the same way.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. It all belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

The snow had stopped falling the day before, but the wind had really kicked up. The several inches of accumulation blew across the parking lot and onto the windshield of his Volvo. Edward didn't want to be going home. He wanted to stay with Bella and drive her to school the next day, but she wasn't a big fan of sleepovers on school nights.

Edward could only laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. They were grown adults, yet they were trapped by the rules of the institution that they worked for. Sometimes, he really didn't like having a job that bled over into his personal life.

Edward started his car and drove carefully through the snow towards his own home. While waiting at a stoplight, he turned his phone back on to retrieve any messages he may have missed.

He was surprised to find that he had ten messages waiting. Either someone had died or won the lottery because Edward couldn't imagine anything that would be more important to him than spending the weekend alone with his girl.

Edward would have been wrong. The first message was from Riley Summers, whom they'd met Friday night after the gig. The sound of Joey's excited voice came next and was followed by the rest of his band, and then two more messages from Joey. He almost dropped the phone when he listened to the remaining voicemails, not sure how he could have gotten so lucky all at once.

Riley Summers was one of the jazz festival organizers that they'd met and he wanted to book them for a festival in February. One of the producers wanted to "take a meeting' with them later that week. And Bill and Christine were dying to have the Edward Cullen Five come back for the entire rest of the year.

Edward was so excited that he had to pull into a Burger King parking lot to listen to the messages again, just to make sure he'd heard correctly. He wanted to shout with joy, jump out of the car and dive into a snowdrift. He wanted to call Bella to share the news, which he did immediately.

Unfortunately, his ingenious plan to have her all to himself backfired at that moment. She hadn't turned her phone back on and he was unable to reach her. He thought about turning around to give her the news in person, but decided it would be better to know the specifics before sharing them with her.

Edward drove home as quickly as he could, tossed his overnight bag onto his couch and called Joey. They spoke animatedly while Joey filled in the details. Riley actually wanted them to go on a tour of jazz festivals in February. They would hit Norway, Finland, Sweden, Spain, Italy and Germany over a two-week period. Max Alders was the producer that wanted to meet with them. He was interested in recording with them. Bill and Christine wanted the band back every weekend for the rest of the year, if not longer.

Edward and Joey spoke for over an hour about the particulars, agreeing to meet the next day so the band could discuss things together. Edward was practically bursting out of his skin after they hung up. He'd never thought that they would get so lucky as to have so much interest in them all at once. Add to that the high that his personal life was on and Edward was on top of the world.

That thought gave him pause. Edward stood in front of his plants in the kitchen and stared out into his backyard, but not seeing what was out there. Bella. Bella would be happy for him. Bella wanted him to be a success. Edward wanted to be that man for her as well.

How would she fit into his new career path? They hadn't discussed it - not really. She knew that he wanted to play professionally. Edward hadn't mentioned what life could be like for him if he chose that career path instead of the one he was currently on. Being a teacher was easy, for him anyway. His students were great. His hours were set. He had summers off.

If he became a professional musician, all that would change. There were no set hours. He'd be working almost every day just to prove himself. And, he'd be spending days, weeks, or even months away from home. Away from Bella.

Is that what he wanted? To be away from Bella? Edward's heart said NO quite loudly. His head, on the other hand, wasn't as forceful in its testament. This was Edward's lifelong dream, it whispered. Did he want to give all that up for a girl?

But Bella was more than just a girl. She was his love, his life, his future partner and mother of his children.

How did that fit into his lifelong dream? Would she be willing to sit at home while he toured the world, worked on records and spent most of his time away from her?

More importantly – did Edward want to spend that much time away from her? It made him crazy now just to be away from her one night. What happened when that one night turned into two weeks or a month? Edward didn't know if he could go through that.

He had more than just his own thoughts to worry about though. This affected more than his own life. There were five people in the band and they'd all made a commitment to see their success through. Edward couldn't bail out on them now. He had responsibilities that reached beyond just his own wants.

Edward walked through the kitchen and opened the back door that opened out onto his deck. He stepped out into the snow, not really seeing where he was going, feeling the wetness at his feet or the chill in the air. Yes, he needed those things to help wake him up.

He hadn't fallen asleep but he had fallen into one of his stupors. The kind that made him do crazy things like spend two years in New York or get angry with the new teacher at school and accuse her of adultery. Edward fought it now. He would not go off the deep end this time. He would not act crazy. What he would do is calm the fuck down. He would wait until he talked with his band before he'd let his concerns consume him. A good night's rest would help him think through the problem and come up with a solution that was beneficial to everyone. Edward would not fuck up his life again.

***

Edward was in serious danger of fucking up his life again. He'd just spent the last hour yelling at Joey about his reed selection - his fucking reed selection. Edward didn't give a flying fuck what kind of reeds Joey used, but it had set him off for some dumbass reason.

The Edward Cullen Five was all steam ahead concerning the future plans of the band. They'd called Riley Summers and excitedly accepted his proposal for the jazz festival tour in February. Bill and Christine were also happy to have them signed for the next eight weeks, though Edward had put his foot down about the last two weekends in December. He and Bella would be out of town and that was that. Shakes, in particular, had seemed unhappy about that but that was just too fucking bad for him.

They'd spent the rest of the evening trying to pound out a new song for Friday night, but nothing seemed to have gone right. Edward couldn't concentrate, Joey had broken two reeds, Shakes' trumpet was out of tune, Gordy's bass hadn't even made it to Edward's house with the excuse that "he hadn't known they would be jamming" and Steve was trying to make do with just a snare and top hat.

Edward had kicked them all out at 10:00 and called Bella, trying to get some semblance of normalcy back into his life. He had told her about all the band news that day at lunch and she'd shown more excitement than even he could manage.

Bella was a selfless person. Bella wanted what was best for him. If only Edward wanted that too. He was trying though.

He'd left out the details about the jazz festival tour. She knew that he would be going away for a while. That he'd have to clear the time off with his brother, who would most likely be unhappy with him from the viewpoint of the school, but pleased for him as his brother.

Edward just didn't want to hash out all the details with her just yet. He didn't want to think about being separated for two weeks. He didn't want to dwell on how much he'd miss her and how he'd feel like his soul was being ripped in half.

That mushy stuff was for chicks any way. Edward needed to concentrate on getting the band back in gear and focused. They'd let their brief amount of good luck go to their heads and they needed to concentrate now on the struggles that lay ahead. Each and every week, they would have to go back out there and prove themselves. Show Chicago that they were the best. That they deserved to be put on the 10:00 slot every Friday night. Edward was fiercely determined and he would not continue to fuck things up.

Edward spent the rest of the week fighting his asshole tendencies. He apologized after he yelled at the flute section for messing up the same damn passage five times in a row. He fought the urge to call the cable company to yell at them for raising their rates yet again. He had to do his own laundry for once because his mom had a busy week at the club, and he turned all his socks pink in the process. And Bella; dear, sweet, love-of-his-life Bella bore his bad mood with a smile.

Any other woman would have called him a jerk and told him off. But not Bella. Maybe it was because he'd somehow managed not to take his bad mood out on her. She talked him down every time he got pissed off. She knew just the right thing to say to him too. Bella was perfect. Bella was the best there was. Edward did not deserve Bella.

***

Bella was beginning to think that she was dating a girl.

Edward had been moody all week, like he was getting PMS. She'd tried to be the loving and understanding girlfriend, but even she had her limits. Something was bothering him and she couldn't put her finger on it.

He was withdrawn. She'd catch him staring off into space, but when she asked for his thoughts, he gave her the same answer each time: national security.

Bella snorted as she stirred the alfredo sauce. National security was the last thing on his mind. His thoughts usually revolved around music, his job, his family and her. She wasn't being conceited by including herself in that list; it was the just the truth.

It was Friday night, and he was supposed to be coming over for dinner before the Christine's gig. "Supposed to be" because he was now 15 minutes late, and Edward was never late. He was usually early. Bella wasn't going to let it annoy her though. Having one of them in a bad mood was one too many. She wasn't going to sink to his level and shut down too. She was done with that modus operandi.

Just as she picked up her phone to give her boyfriend a call, the doorbell rang. She wasn't expecting anyone other than Edward though, and he had his own key to her place. He would just let himself in.

She was surprised to find that it was actually Edward ringing her doorbell. Edward and a dozen red roses. Edward and a sheepish smile on his face. Edward and his clear green eyes that had been cloudy all week long.

"Edward! Why did you ring the doorbell? Did you forget your key?" She stepped back to let him in, and he took advantage of her position immediately. They spent several minutes pressed up against the wall, his kisses telling her all the things that his words had been unable to do.

When they finally parted, Edward handed her the flowers. "I wasn't sure how welcome I would be. I'm sorry I've been such a jerk this week."

Bella breathed a sigh of relief. Her Edward was back. She'd been afraid all week that she would have to put up with the jerk…and she didn't know how long she'd be able to do that.

"It's ok, Edward. We all have our bad days." She smiled into the bouquet of flowers as she sniffed them. She reluctantly admitted that it was nice to get flowers from your boyfriend every once in a while. She never thought she'd be one of those girls that needed flowers, but the thought behind them made her all gooey on the inside.

Edward sniffed the air as he walked further into her apartment. "Chicken alfredo?" He rubbed his hands together in excitement when Bella nodded. It was one of his favorite meals. It was no coincidence that she was making it for him this week. She'd pulled out all the stops this evening to try to break his mood. Favorite food. Favorite music playing in the background. Favorite lingerie underneath her clothes. She'd been fiercely determined to fix whatever was wrong. Thankfully, it looked like Edward had done it all on his own.

They chatted excitedly over dinner, and Bella felt like she had Edward back for the first time since last weekend. He really hadn't been acting like himself all week. He was nervous about the gig, but not as nervous as the week prior. As a result, Bella felt more relaxed too.

After they cleaned up the dinner dishes, Bella hurriedly changed so they could head into the city. They had some time before Edward needed to show up and he wanted to take her to Navy Pier.

The night was cold and moonless. Thankfully, it wasn't snowing. They walked the length of the pier, arm in arm. Bella shivered against the cold, but she was bundled up fairly well for the weather. She'd opted for pants instead of a dress and that definitely helped with her comfort level. The Ferris Wheel was open and they decided to take a ride. Bella smiled at Edward, remembering the first Ferris Wheel ride they'd taken together a few months ago. This Ferris Wheel was much taller and Bella felt a few moments of vertigo as it spun lazily against the darkened sky and lights of the city.

Indoors, they headed towards the Winter WonderFest. They walked amongst the trees that were gaily decorated for the season. Families and couples alike filled Festival Hall, making it difficult to maneuver through the chaos. Bella was filled with so much love and happiness, they could have been wading through six inches of ice and slush and she wouldn't have cared. Edward pointed out the ice skating rink, but Bella laughingly declined; with her track record, she would fall and break her leg. They discovered an indoor Ferris Wheel, which would have been much warmer than the ride they'd just taken, but Bella thought that the outdoor attraction had been just perfect for the two of them. All too soon, it was time to head to Christine's. The club was too far away to walk to, so they headed back to Edward's car and got there just in time for him to warm up with the band.

Bella was meeting the wives and girlfriends of Edward's bandmates for the first time. Edward's parents weren't able to make this gig due to a prior commitment. Rosalie and Emmett hadn't been able to find a babysitter. Jasper was still out of town at his conference and Alice was supposed to have come with them that evening, but she hadn't been feeling well and told her before they left school that day that she wouldn't be able to make it.

Bella was excited to meet some more of Edward's friends. He'd known his bandmates for several years, and at least two of the women sitting at the table went to college with Edward. She was looking forward to getting the inside scoop on the man he was prior to Tanyagate.

As they waited for the ECF to take the stage, Bella sipped her glass of Coke and almost wished she'd ordered something stronger to drink. She was getting quite the earful about Edward Cullen and his many girlfriends. Bella knew that he hadn't been a monk, but she never expected to be subjected to an entire roster of females from his past.

Shakes' girlfriend, Carrie, in particular seemed to know each and every girl that Edward had ever dated. She'd known Edward since their undergrad days at Oberlin Conservatory and had been witness to his shenanigans.

"Remember Rachel?" She asked, poking Joey's wife Samantha in the side.

"Was she the bald girl?" Samantha replied, poking Carrie back in the same place.

"No, that was Megan. Rachel was the one who worked at the art gallery and had that amazing loft. She was uber cool."

Bella smiled at their reminiscences, not letting Carrie's apparent mission to make her angry show. Carrie didn't seem to like Bella, though Bella didn't know why. They'd only spoken a few words to one another so far, but Bella hadn't missed the frowning perusal she'd been given after she'd introduced herself.

The other two girls at the table, Mandi who was married to Steve, and Katie who was dating Gordy, were on the quiet side but weren't as anxious to participate in the "let's name all of Edward's girlfriends" game. Katie had met Edward at Northwestern and actually portrayed a different side of him that the one Bella was getting from Samantha and Carrie.

"He was so serious, all the time. We had the same advisor, so while I was studying composition and he was concentrating on performance, our paths crossed more than once. We've actually written some songs together. Has he played any of them for you?" Katie was a pretty girl. She had long brown hair that Bella admired. Bella was trying to grow out her hair again, having decided that she didn't like having it so short after all. Bella felt as if this was one member of the girlfriend's club that she could get along with.

"He doesn't really play for me a lot. But, I'll be sure to ask him about it the next time we're at his place." Bella had seen the cardboard box that sat on the floor next to his keyboard. He never pulled anything out of it, but Bella had assumed that it held sheet music. She'd have to get him to show it to her some time.

Edward's band was introduced then, interrupting any further conversation they might have had. Bella was glad that the performance was beginning though; she was anxious to see how she reacted this week. She hoped that he wouldn't be forced to drag her to the back again this week. It would be just as embarrassing in front of his band and their friends.

Miraculously, Bella was able to keep her libido in check. She didn't know if it was the change in table, they were now sitting towards the back of the room, or just a change in her hormones, but she was able to enjoy the music without wanting to charge the stage and drag Edward off by his hair. She still took the time to check out that tantalizing patch of skin at his throat, the chiseled lines of his facial structure, and his hair that stood up at all angles. The pounding chords and bass notes still beat their way through her skin and bones, leaving delicious tingles behind in their wake. But Bella was able to keep her reaction in check.

This was good, because they couldn't rush off during the break this week even if they wanted to. Max Alders joined their table during the last song right before the break. He quickly introduced himself and dragged a chair over to sit at their table with them. As soon as the guys left the stage, he bombarded them with thoughts and notes he had about their first half. Apparently, Max Alders was serious about making a record with the band. Edward was all business, and Bella watched him with fascination. This wasn't a side of him she usually got to see and she was intrigued. He was so laid back most of the time. She had no idea that he could be a real grown-up.

All too quickly their break was over. Bella realized with a start that Edward hadn't even said hello to her. He was busy, she understood, but it caught her by surprise, nonetheless. He was usually very attentive.

The rest of the set was as brilliant as the first half. They got another standing ovation at the end, claps on the back from Max and Bill, the owner of the club, and drinks sent to their table once they'd joined Bella and the other girls.

This time, Edward made up for his lack of recognition during their break. He greeted Bella with a drawn-out kiss and promptly sat her on his lap. They spent the rest of the night chatting with their large group and just enjoying the success of the evening.

Bella loved this side of Edward. He was completely in his element. Music was such a large part of his life, and she was so happy that he'd finally found some success with it. His future seemed to be full of promise and Bella wanted what was best for him.

All of that couldn't stop the small, nagging voice in the back of her head that chanted "What about Bella?" She'd be a fool not to admit that she had some trepidation about their future together. His career would take him away from her; there was no argument about that. So the question became: how solid was their relationship? Could they weather the time apart? Bella thought so, and even though she'd felt Edward pulling away from her this past week, she thought he felt the same way. They would need to talk about it, and the sooner the better.

***

Alice knew that something was wrong. She'd been ignoring the signs for the past few months, not wanting to acknowledge them. But, even Jasper had begun to notice the symptoms. He had finally put his foot down, which was kind of funny because Jasper rarely took the dominant role in their relationship.

Funny or not, Alice had been given a choice. She either had to call and make an appointment with the doctor or Jasper would tie her up and carry her down there over his shoulder. While she didn't mind being tied up by Jasper, she really didn't want to suffer through the indignity of being carried over her husband's strong shoulders into the doctor's office. She'd called and made the appointment for Monday. Jasper would be going with her, which was really for the best because Alice was scared shitless.

She'd been suffering with infertility problems for years. After she and Jasper had married, they'd wanted children right away. Alice had happily taken herself off the pill and they'd had wild sex for months. But, no baby.

Two years went by and no baby. She'd gone to see her ob/gyn, who had referred her to a specialist. Tests had been performed on both her and Jasper. Intrusive tests. Painful tests. Jasper's swimmers were great. He had a high sperm count and they were normal-shaped.

The news that had been delivered to Alice had not been so encouraging. Endometriosis was the culprit. Laparoscopy had been performed to identify and remove the lesions. She'd been encouraged to learn that her fertility should increase and she and Jasper would be able to conceive.

The reality had not been as rosy. They'd tried for another year on their own with zero results. They'd finally decided to have the IUI procedures, and had finally gotten pregnant on the third try.

Alice had been exhausted, both mentally and physically. She'd never given up hope that she and Jasper would have the family that they craved. Then, of course, she'd ended up miscarrying.

Which, unfortunately, seemed to be directly related to her current medical problems. The endometriosis symptoms were back: the pain in her back, the incapacitating cramps. Even their sex life had become nonexistent, which really put a damper on the entire trying to conceive a baby plan.

It was Saturday evening. Jasper was still away at his conference but would be home tomorrow. Bella was due over at any minute and Alice didn't have the strength to put on her happy face in front of her anymore. She barely felt like getting dressed just a few hours ago. Her usual happy-go-lucky demeanor was taking a serious beating, and Alice didn't like it. Not at all.

The doorbell rang and Alice pulled her body out from underneath the blankets she had piled on the sofa and shuffled to the door to let Bella in. Beautiful Bella, who radiated love and health and happiness. Alice was happy for her. Happy that she'd gotten her life back on track. She deserved nothing but goodness for the rest of her days.

"I stopped at the store, and look what I found!" Bella shared excitedly, as she brushed past Alice and into her kitchen. "Jiffy Pop! I had no idea they still made this! We can cook it over the stove top and we won't have to even bother with the microwave…hey, you don't look so good." Unlike the old Toys R Us commercial, Bella's smile flipped upside down into a frown.

Alice groaned in response and took a seat at the kitchen table. The kitchen always seemed so big and empty without Jasper's presence. She missed her husband badly.

"Are you ok? Is there something I can do for you?" Bella's intense look of concern almost brought tears to Alice's eyes, and Alice never cried.

"Jasper's taking me to the doctor on Monday. I can hold out until then. You just have to keep feeding me pain pills while you're here." Alice's attempt at a joke fell flat.

Bella joined her at the table. "Tell me what's wrong."

Alice tried to smile, but she knew it came across more as a grimace. "When we were talking about babies last weekend, I didn't tell you the whole truth."

Bella nodded, taking off her coat in the process and hanging it on the back of her chair. Settling in for Alice's story, no doubt.

"We've been trying to conceive for years." Alice let that first piece of news set in, recognizing Bella's understanding behind the actual words. "We've had numerous tests performed on both of us, and we finally conceived but I miscarried early this year."

"Oh, Alice…" Bella said, grasping her hand across the table.

Alice smiled weakly in response. She always got the same response. No one really knew what to say to that kind of news. It was like a death in the family, but without a body to bury or mourn. Alice waved off her concern, just wanting to finish the story so they could curl up on the couch and watch a cheesy movie.

"Anyway, it turns out I have endometriosis, you know what that is?" Bella nodded her head so Alice soldiered on. "They removed most of it about 18 months ago, but I've got the same symptoms again so I'm pretty sure its back. I went to the doctor several weeks ago, and he'd given me discouraging news about my ability to conceive at all, and now that this seems to be rearing its ugly head, we're going to have to face the reality that I probably won't ever be able to have a baby."

Bella, bless her heart, had no problem shedding the tears that Alice desperately would not allow herself to shed. Bella jumped up, crossed to her side of the table and enveloped Alice in his arms. "It's going to be ok," Bella told her and Alice took advantage of the moment to allow the comfort of her best friend to seep through her tough exterior. Through her hurt, through her sadness and through her pain. Bella's arms were like a soothing balm to all that she never allowed to break through, preferring to steel her nerves and emotions just to get through everything that life threw her way. Alice treasured those few moments to be taken care of for once, instead of being the one always providing the care.

Alice gently pushed her friend away and the moment was gone. "So, where's my popcorn? We can't watch a Kate Hudson flick without popcorn to throw at the screen every time she does something dumb."

Bella smiled in response, but Alice saw the small look of empathy in the back of her eyes. Bella was a good enough friend to know not to push her too far. Alice was already on the edge, and it wasn't going to take much.


	23. Chapter 23

DISCLAIMER: I own not one piece of Twilight. It all belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

Two weeks. Bella had two weeks left in Bear Lake before she and Edward headed home for the holidays. She snorted out loud as she wrote the day's assignments on the white board in her classroom, humming the Christmas song that went along with her thoughts. She still had so many things to do before they left. She needed to buy presents for Edward and her dad. She needed to remind Jessica to go by her apartment every few days to take care of her plant. Most importantly, she needed to buck up the courage to talk to Jacob when she got home.

She really didn't think that was going to be a problem though. She was over Jacob. And it was time to level with him, once and for all. No more evasive techniques. No more months of silence. She'd let him know what her feelings had been, once upon a time, and that she'd moved on. Their conversation would probably be uncomfortable, but her happiness no longer hinged on his reaction to what she had to say to him. It wouldn't matter if he laughed in her face or fell to his knees to beg her forgiveness; she had Edward and was ridiculously happy with him. Nothing that Jacob could say or do would change that.

Bella's first period students began to trickle in and she got ready to start her day. They were beginning to show signs of Decemberitis. Their two week holiday loomed in the not too distant future and most of the student body was ready to be away from school. Bella was ready too. She missed her dad, and was looking forward to seeing him. And, she'd have Edward all to herself.

Her first four periods passed by smoothly. Thankfully, the novelty of having their English teacher dating the infamous Mr. Cullen had worn off. Bella had suffered through weeks of stares, whispers and giggling before the next interesting piece of news came along and her students were discussing that instead. Bella had been prepared for an extended period of awkwardness, but it had passed quickly instead.

Bella practically skipped to the lunch room after the bell rang. She hadn't seen Edward since Saturday morning. She picked out two sandwiches from the lunch line and hurried to the music room. Edward was hunched over his desk as usual and only grunted when she put their food down on his desk.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she unwrapped her turkey on whole wheat. He didn't usually work during their lunch breaks so she was extra curious as to what was so important.

Edward sat back and sighed, rubbing his eyes in the process. "This passage isn't working. I thought I would take a look at it, but it's just going to have to wait until practice tonight. I need the whole band to fix it."

Bella's face fell. "Oh – I didn't realize you had practice tonight. I thought we were going over to Alice and Jasper's." Actually, Bella was positive that they had plans to go to Alice and Jasper's. Today was Alice's doctor's appointment and she and Edward had agreed just the day before to take them some dinner so they wouldn't have to worry about cooking.

"Yeah, well, this came up instead," Edward replied testily as he unwrapped the sandwich she'd brought him.

"Oh…ok." Bella looked at her lunch and placed it back down on the desk, her appetite gone.

"Fuck, I hate mustard," Edward said, looking at his sandwich in disgust. "I thought I told you that I hated mustard. Great – now I'll have to wait until after school to get something to eat." He pushed the sandwich away from him and turned back to the sheet music spread out in front of him.

Bella frowned at his reaction. He didn't usually let the little things upset him so much. She knew that he'd been busy, and the stress of all the music stuff was getting to him, but still. He didn't have to react so badly all the time.

"I could go get you something different," Bella offered. She didn't want him to stay hungry all day, and she knew that his bad mood would only get worse from lack of food. She'd been witness to that before. "Would you like a roast beef? Or they had a couple slices of pepperoni pizza left." She stood to make her way back to the cafeteria, not minding the extra trip. Her appetite was gone but hopefully some food would make Edward's disposition swing in the other direction.

"Bella, sit down. I don't need you mothering me. I can get my own damn lunch if that's what I want to do." He didn't even lift his head as he spoke to her. His shoulders remained hunched and his eyes glued to the pages of music spread out before him.

Jerky Edward had returned. Bella was not in the mood this day to put up with him. "I'm going back to my room," she told him, removing the remains of her lunch. She felt nauseous just looking at it.

Bella paused when she reached the door to his office, wondering if he had noticed that she'd moved. He hadn't changed position in the slightest to her announcement, and with an angry glance sent his way, Bella stalked out of the music room and up to her own classroom, throwing her lunch away once she got there.

***

A quiet and subdued Jasper opened the door that evening. He took Bella's coat and motioned for her to follow him into the kitchen. Bella placed the bag of take-out she'd picked up on the table and began pulling out the trays while Jasper spoke.

"She's asleep," Jasper said as he took plates and silverware out of the cupboards.

"Should we wait to eat with her?" Bella had picked up Alice's favorite meal – baked ziti – because it never failed to bring a smile to her face.

Jasper shook his head and they sat in silence while they ate the meal. The tone of the evening had fallen ridiculously flat. Not that Bella had been expecting fun and games considering the reason behind her visit, but she hadn't expected to still feel the sting of Edward's earlier bad mood. Add to that the empty void that Alice's presence left behind and there was very little joy over their dinner conversation.

They ate quickly, and while they said very little, Bella felt comfortable in Jasper's kitchen with him. The kitchen was his domain. From the stark white tiles that covered the floor to the no-nonsense wooden cupboards, it was all Jasper. The appliances were all stainless steel and he had a small under-the-cupboard flat-screen TV next to the stove so he could watch sports while he prepared their meals. The room bore very little of Alice's personality, but she was so present throughout the rest of the house that it made sense for Jasper to have this one room reflect his personality so well.

Watching Jasper choke down his meal was almost more than Bella could take. She knew without hearing the words how much he adored Alice, and how much this was affecting him as well. Her pain was his pain. Her loss was his loss.

They carried their dishes to the sink and loaded the dishwasher together.

Bella turned on him as he put the leftovers away. "How is she, Jasper?"

He paused as he shut the door to the fridge. That pause was all she needed to gauge his actual response.

"Alice is fine," he told her, but Bella sensed that he was trying to convince himself of that as he spoke the words. Whatever the doctor had told them must not have been good news.

"Tell me, please," Bella said, placing her hand on his arm.

Jasper took a deep breath and stood up straight, as if he was garnering the strength to speak the words from the steely rigidity of his spine. "They don't know, Bella. They're sending her for more tests. They're afraid that something else is involved now…"

"Something other than the endometriosis?" That possibility hadn't occurred to Bella, but she'd only been in the loop for a few days.

"Yes. He said that we shouldn't worry and they're optimistic about her health, but there's zero chance of conception now." Jasper's voice broke and Bella stepped forward to pull him into a hug. Jasper had been there for her so many times over the past few months. He'd befriended her, cheered her up, and defended her honor. Bella wasn't going to let them go through this alone.

Bella held her best friend's husband in her arms, willing her comfort to seep into his weary soul. This was all she could offer him now. She couldn't say any words to take the pain away. She couldn't magically make Alice better. But she could help to ease the burden on their souls.

"You're lucky I know the two of you so well or I'd be tasing both your asses right about now." Alice's voice from the doorway was a welcome intrusion to the cloud of sadness that had settled over the kitchen.

Bella backed away from Jasper with a smile for her friend. "I thought we were going to share him. That's what you promised me last month, remember?" Bella was more than happy to play along with Alice's joke. She'd had enough of hurt and sadness for the day, though if Alice needed her shoulder to cry on, she'd switch back in an instant.

Alice was not the type of person to let bad news keep her down for too long though. "That was before you got your own man, and I was picturing us in the nursing home by the time I'd be ready to share Jasper with anyone. Where is Edward by the way?"

The smile that had spread across Bella's face fell at the mention of the E word. "Rehearsal. I picked up baked ziti – do you want me to heat some up for you?" Bella opened the fridge and pulled out the food without waiting for a response. If she kept busy, she wouldn't be forced to look at Alice's face. Bella didn't want to see her reaction to the news that Edward was blowing them off again for rehearsal.

"That's the third time in the past two weeks," Alice finally replied, somewhat diplomatically.

"He did cancel that one rehearsal to go to the mall with you," Jasper reminded them.

"Only because he needed a new lever-thingamajig for the piano." Alice pursed her lips at the pleading look that Jasper shot her.

"Bella, you know that he won't be busy like this forever. They're just excited and nervous about all the success that has come their way. They'll find the right balance soon enough." Jasper, as always, was the voice of reason.

Bella nodded her head as she placed the plate in front of Alice. She didn't want to discuss Edward. She only wanted to concentrate on Alice and Jasper.

"You'll let me know if I can do anything to help, right?" Bella hated feeling so useless. She didn't have much else to offer though.

"You bet," Alice said as she dug into her baked ziti with gusto. She even smiled at her, which Bella was all too happy to credit to the food.

***

"It's a Christmas miracle!" Bella exclaimed when she came home the next night from Scrabble club and found her boyfriend waiting inside her living room. She set her things down and shrugged out of her coat.

"I said I'd be here, didn't I?" Edward barely looked up at her when she entered the apartment, and even now he was concentrating mostly on his laptop.

"Yeah, but I didn't know whether to believe you or not." Edward shot her a pained look. "I know, you've been busy with the band. I just didn't expect you to be able to get away."

"Well, I did," Edward said, keeping his eyes glued to the small computer screen the entire time.

"Whatcha working on?" Bella tried to peer over his shoulder, but he closed the laptop before she could get a good look.

"Travel arrangements," Edward muttered before standing up.

Bella smiled as he pulled her in for a quick hug and kiss. "I'm so excited about going home, Edward. It will be nice to have the time off, and I'll get so see my dad, plus I'll have you all to myself, for the most part anyway." Bella laughed as he hugged her even tighter while she rambled on.

His hands froze in the process of sliding down her back to regions that had been neglected lately. Bella pouted and pulled back to look at his face. She was almost afraid to ask what was wrong; everything seemed to set him off these days.

"You got a Christmas tree," he said, releasing her and taking a step back.

Bella glanced at the small plastic tree that she had placed on the floor moments ago. "If you can call it that. I don't think it counts as a Christmas tree unless it's at least six feet tall though."

"Where did you get it?"

He sounded suspicious, as if she was hiding something. Bella, again, was afraid to respond, dreading whatever reaction he might have. But, she couldn't spend the rest of her life censoring her words just because of Edward Moodilicious Cullen.

"Joshua. He came in with trees for everyone tonight. I thought it was a nice gesture."

"Josh – he's the guy that works for the Record?"

Bella groaned and picked the tree off the floor to move it to her kitchen table. She wasn't sure where this conversation was headed, but she was afraid the tree would end up in the garbage disposal or tossed off the balcony at the rate they were going.

"Yes, the Joshua who works as the obituary editor for the Record." Bella had come clean with Edward weeks ago about Joshua Smithson and his connection to the newspaper. They'd gone round and round this topic before. Josh hadn't even been at the paper when Tanyagate had gone down, and Bella didn't think his current position made him the best candidate for someone who would be interested in delving into the history of one Edward Cullen.

Edward grunted and followed her into the kitchen. "I still don't trust him."

"I seriously doubt he's hidden a microphone or camera in the tree, Edward. He has more important things to do than worry about what an English teacher does in her spare time." Bella had made a point of not speaking about Edward at Scrabble Club. Alice's warnings had scared her away from mentioning her boyfriend's name or what he did for a living. Instead, she continued to talk about her job, being new in town, and the occasional, very brief, mention of her boyfriend. That was the most difficult part of the restrictions, actually. Who wouldn't want to crow at the top of their lungs that they were dating Edward? Bella wanted to take out ad space on a billboard, but that was just the teenage girl within speaking out. Bella had so far been able to rein in those tendencies.

They spent the rest of the evening working on their separate projects. Bella had papers to grade and Edward was busy at his laptop. She caught him sneaking glances at the tree more than once, and she could only grimace each time he did. His lack of complete trust was a problem; one that they would have to address at some point. Bella only hoped that time came before something major blew up in their faces.

***

The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas had always been an unusual time for Bella. The Thanksgiving holiday was spent with her mother, and for the past few years that had taken place in sunny Florida. It was only one of two times throughout the year that she spent any extended amounts of time with her absent parent. When she was a child, Bella hadn't minded the visits; they'd actually been mini-adventures for a girl who very rarely left the town that she'd been born in. During her teens, she'd tried very hard not to feel bitter about the intrusion into her time with her father. She wanted to visit her mother, she really did, but Bella also couldn't help but resent her mother at the same time. The visits left her feeling confused and hurt more often than not.

It seemed to always take her those few weeks between the holidays to return to her old self. She found the transition from daughter of Renee to daughter of Charlie difficult. When she was with her mom, there were very little rules. They stayed up late together, eating junk food and movies that Charlie would have deemed inappropriate. Renee was more like an older sister than a mom. The sense of freedom while she was with her mom was intoxicating. Like finding a $100 dollar bill on the sidewalk and slipping it into your pocket: you know, deep down that it's wrong, but it feels right on the surface. Bella knew, deep down, that her mom wasn't really a mom. She'd seen plenty of moms in action: Mrs. Black, Mrs. Uley, Mrs. Clearwater, Mrs. Newton. Her mom didn't act like any of them. Bella had been spared the overbearing, the overprotective, the nagging, and the intrusiveness. But she'd also missed out on the caring, concern, love and affection that could only come from your mother. Charlie had been great – Bella had no complaints – but it was during that brief period of time after she came home from her mom's that she wished she had a mom around all the time.

Unfortunately for Charlie, it made Bella sulky and moody. She tried not to take it out on her dad, after all it wasn't his fault, but it was hard sometimes. She hated those days when she'd snap at him or say something she didn't mean. She didn't know half the time why she'd done it and had almost always regretted it instantly. But as a teenager, it had been hard to confess her feelings to her father. It was even harder to admit that she was sorry and promise not to do it again.

The only person who had understood was Jacob. She felt comfortable discussing the strangeness of her mom with him. Even after all this time, her dad was too emotionally invested in her mom to be an unbiased source of comfort and opinion. Jacob, on the other hand, had the benefit of an outsider's view of her relationship with her parents. Even after she'd grown out of that phase of lashing out and retreating, she'd still gone to Jacob for whatever emotional comfort she could absorb from his presence after the visits with her mom.

As an adult, they were no longer the strange and confusing visits of her youth. Bella had been able to come to terms with her mother's behavior and defection, and been able to accept her as the friend she had always craved to be. Renee was just a friend who had given birth to her.

This particular year, the year that she moved away from Forks and lived on her own for the first time, Bella felt the threatening uneasiness of those weeks between the holidays settle upon her soul like a soaking wet winter jacket. It was heavier than usual and extremely uncomfortable. She hadn't seen her mom in almost six months, so she couldn't even blame Renee for the weight that seemed to linger on her back and shoulders. She'd thought that this would be the one year that she could avoid this feeling of annoyance and angst during what should be a joyous and celebratory season.

She'd happily spent Thanksgiving with Edward and his family. Yes, some of his relatives had been annoying and obnoxious, but that went with the territory. Overall, she'd been left with generally happy memories of the day.

But, this didn't seem to be a contributing factor to her current mood; unlike past Thanksgivings when she returned home to her dad, withdrawn and unable to converse until she'd spoken with Jacob and regained her sense of balance. Bella was off-balance and she didn't know why.

She should have been excited about her forthcoming trip home to Forks. And she was, to some degree. She missed her dad so much it hurt. And she couldn't even think about stringing a popcorn chain without tears stinging at the corner of her eyes.

The Christmas spirit had engulfed everyone around her, excluding her and Edward it seemed. She'd been trying extra hard this year not to fall into her usual slump, and she'd been hoping that she wouldn't have to worry about it since she was in a different place in her life now. Bella could only assume that some habits died hard.

Edward was an entirely different story. He was like a heroin addict on crack. Some days he was so wonderfully sweet, and loving, and so very Edward that her heart ached from the beauty of it. Other days, he was short-tempered, withdrawn, and forgetful. Memory loss affected every one from time to time, but Edward's case seemed to be deliberate. He promised to meet her at The Pier so they could do some Christmas shopping, and then never appeared. She asked him to read over her grant proposal so she could buy more supplies for her classroom, and he never did it.

The worst part was that he never apologized or seemed contrite about what he'd done. Edward seemed to be trying to push her away, and Bella didn't know what to do about it. More than once she'd reached the end of her patience, only to have him show up with his crooked grin and sparkling, clear green eyes. Her Edward would return for a few days, and they would be wonderful days. Days filled with love and plans for the future.

But the old Edward always found a way to sneak back in. Bella couldn't put her finger on it, but something was bothering him; something that he didn't want to talk about. She'd tried breaching every subject that came to mind: Tanya, Jacob, Edward's family, their trip to Forks, his band, Jasper and Alice, his brother and Rosalie. Nothing seemed to spark a reaction.

Frankly, Bella was concerned about the future of their relationship. Her one, lone beacon of hope was that their trip to Forks would set their world back in balance. Bella wasn't a quitter. She was prepared to have an adult relationship that went through its share of ups and downs, but Edward the downer had become quite ridiculous.

When Bella thought back to the day they'd had so far, she shuddered with discontentment. How had it all gone downhill so quickly?

Bella's car was in the shop for an oil change and tire rotation. Not the shop that Benjamin "call me Ben" worked for. She'd reluctantly found another garage closer to Edward's house instead. Edward had promised to pick her up for school since she was without transportation…

Bella checked the time on her cell phone for the third time in the past five minutes. Edward was now twenty minutes late. She would barely have enough time to open the door before her first period came barreling in. She tried calling him, again, and got his voicemail, again. The frantic beeping of a car horn brought her running out of the building in relief. Edward didn't usually summon her with the sound of his car horn, but she didn't have time to discuss it with him this morning.

She jumped into the passenger seat, and Edward took off, as if the car was an arrow that had been launched from an over-taut bow. Bella clumsily buckled her seatbelt, trying to balance her briefcase and banana-nut muffin at the same time. She peeled the paper wrapper of the muffin back and took a bite, determined to at least have her breakfast eaten by the time they got to school. At the speed he was driving though, Edward would have them there before she could polish off the small muffin. Edward hit a pothole and Bella turned to ask him to slow down, acknowledging him for the first time since she got in the car.

"Crap, Bella, you're getting crumbs all over my car! Why do you insist upon eating inside of Gemma?" His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, but he continued to keep his eyes focused on the road and traffic ahead. He would have gotten an eyeful if he'd been brave enough to examine the hurt and confused look on Bella's face.

"I'm sorry," Bella finally replied, trying to pick up the miniscule crumbs she'd dropped on the floor with her hands.

"Stop that!" Edward shouted, making her jump in the seat. "I'll vacuum her out later."

Bella turned her head and stared out the window. She didn't see what the big deal was about some crumbs in the car. And he'd never minded before…

"I'm sorry, Bella," Edward sighed as he pulled into a parking spot at the school and turned off the car. "I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"Apology accepted," Bella told him before jumping out of the car and running into the school. She didn't have time to analyze his bad mood and her hurt feelings. She had a class of teenagers to teach.

They ate lunch in stony silence in Edward's office. He had a CD of the band's last performance playing in the background, which did seem to lighten the mood towards the end of their quiet repast. Bella hummed along to one of the songs, proud that she recognized the piece and remembered enough of the melody.

"You're sharp," Edward said, managing to tear his eyes away from the tacos he'd been picking at for the last twenty minutes.

"What?"

"You've got the tempo and the chord progression correct, but you're sharp. Your pitch is higher than the music." His eyes raked her face for a moment, but Bella couldn't decipher the look he gave her. He returned his attention just as quickly to his barely touched meal.

Bella frowned at the top of his head. "I didn't realize that pitch mattered when you were humming." She pushed the remnants of her salad around with her fork.

"Only when you're humming along to music that's playing. Look…I don't want to fight."

"Then don't," Bella snapped. She stood up and threw away the rest of her lunch, her appetite gone completely. "I'm going back to my classroom. Don't forget that you're giving me a ride home today."

"Why would I forget that?" Edward asked, standing to throw his uneaten meal away as well.

"I guess for the same reason that you forgot to pick me up this morning."

"I didn't forget to pick you up." Edward raked his hand through his hair. "I dropped my keys in the snow bank at the end of my driveway, and when I was trying to dig them out I slipped on the ice and fell completely into the snow. My pants were soaked through. I finally found the keys but then I had to go back in to change. I'm sorry I was late, but it wasn't because I forgot you. I could never forget you." He pulled his hands out of his thick hair and stuck his thumbs into Bella's waistband, tugging her closer. "I'm an asshole and I'm sorry. Please, just, don't be mad at me anymore."

Edward buried his face into her hair and Bella felt her resolve crumble. How could she stay mad at him when he needed her so much? She wrapped her arms around him and held him close.

"I don't want to be mad anymore either. But, we need to talk. Something's bothering you and we're going to work through it. But, with words, Edward. I can't stand the nit-picking and the arguing."

She felt Edward nod his head against her shoulder and she breathed out in relief. They were going to be ok.

"I'll make meatloaf tonight. Mashed potatoes and green beans?"

Edward pulled away and smiled at her for the first time in what felt like weeks. "I love you," he whispered right before he leaned down and showed her with his lips just how much.

Bella tapped her foot while she waited in Emmett's office. It was almost 3:00, and she should have been on her way home with Edward. However, she'd received a note from the office's student aide during the last period that Edward had left early and had arranged for Bella to get a ride home with Alice instead.

Bella didn't want to ride home with Alice. Bella wanted to get to the bottom of whatever bug had crawled up Edward's ass. And since he wasn't talking to her, Bella was going to grill his brother instead.

Emmett's booming voice announced his arrival before his body physically appeared in the office. "Ms. Swan! What a wonderful surprise! I see you've made yourself at home." Bella glared at him from the comfort of his visitor's chair, trying to remind herself that she wasn't going to take her bad mood out on her boss.

Emmett planted his large frame into his leather chair and clasped his hands in front of him. "How can I help you today?" Bella allowed herself a moment to soak in his upbeat attitude. Her life needed a jolt of upbeat, and stat.

"I'm here about your brother," she began, only to be interrupted.

"Ms. Swan, it's 2:54 and I'm afraid that I'll only be able to discuss Mr. Cullen in his capacity as the music teacher with you until 3:00. After that time, we can discuss Edward, my brother, as much as you desire."

"Cut the crap, Emmett," Bella seethed. "Edward's acting like a class A jerk and I think you know why. Now, here's what's going to happen. You're going to tell me what's wrong with Edward and then I'm going to track him down and beat his head in with my shoe."

Emmett stared her down for a moment, the leaned back in his chair, slowly. "I like you with claws, Bella."

Bella arched her eyebrow, but said nothing in response. It was Emmett's turn to speak now. She was lucky to have Emmett for a boss. Any other management-level adult would have pulled his best tool impression by now.

"I didn't realize that the two of you had been having problems. I know that Edward has not been acting like himself lately…"

Bella rolled her eyes. Was Emmett always so diplomatic?

"…but beyond that, I don't know anything that's wrong, specifically. And, I'm reluctant to get in the middle of whatever trouble may be brewing on the Swan-Cullen ranch."

Bella hung her head and picked at her cuticles. Emmett, of course, was right. She shouldn't be coming to him with her Edward problems. As her boss, he was probably the worst possible option. The silence while she sorted through her thoughts was actually quite loud in her ear, emitting a strange buzzing sensation.

"Did you know that Mr. Cullen has requested the entire month of February off from school?" Emmett finally asked.

Bella's head shot up and her brow wrinkled in confusion. "I thought the tour was only two weeks…"

"Mr. Cullen has also found a substitute who's willing to fill in for him while he's gone. Mr. Cullen's been busy. I think Mr. Cullen has a lot on his mind right now. You should talk to Mr. Cullen."

His words reminded her that she'd been trying to do just that. "I would talk to Mr. Cullen if he was ever around. He was supposed to give me a ride home today, but he took off early."

Emmett's expression changed in a heartbeat. It would have been funny to watch his face change from uninvolved school administrator to protective older brother if Bella hadn't been caught in the middle of it. "He left you here without a ride? How does he expect you to get home? Come on, I'll give you a lift." Emmett stood and grabbed his coat from the coat rack in the corner.

"Emmett, Alice is waiting in her office to give me a ride home. I just stopped by so I could ask about Edward, but now I'm not really sure that I should have bothered you at all." With her adrenaline-fueled momentum gone, Bella felt silly that she'd stopped by Emmett's office. He was right; she and Edward needed to talk, but he was becoming increasingly difficult to communicate with. She didn't know what to do anymore.

"Bella," Emmett began, casting a quick glance to the clock, "I want to help you in anyway that I can. But I think this is something you and Edward are going to have to work through on your own. Go home and give him a call. Don't give up on him so easily. You know how these moody artistic types are." He smiled at her, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He was trying hard to cheer her up.

"Thanks, Emmett. I'll see you tomorrow." Bella quickly left his office and headed towards the Guidance building to catch up with Alice. She and Edward were going to have a very long conversation, and soon. Well, just as soon as she could track him down.

***

In his life, Edward had never wished to be someone else as badly as he did at that very moment. Edward wanted to close his eyes, wake up, and discover that it had been a dream. Then he would turn over, pull Bella into his arms and kiss her for days.

Unfortunately, that was not reality. Reality was making tough decisions that hurt the people you loved. Reality was sticking to your commitments. Reality was standing outside your girlfriend's apartment door because you're too chicken shit to start the conversation that you need to have.

Ben Stiller had it right: Reality Bites.

Edward smoothed his hair down for the last time and rapped on Bella's door perfunctorily. There was no backing out now. He was going to lay it all out there and just hope for the best.

Bella answered the door with a frown. If she'd been a superhero, her super ability would have been laser-beam eyes because her hardened gaze bore into his skull with what seemed like the force of an atomic bomb. Edward was surprised that there wasn't an accompanying sound effect and beam of red light.

"Edward," she finally said, placing her body in between the door and the hallway of her apartment. It was not lost on him that he was not immediately invited in. This had been expected and the reason he hadn't used his key and let himself in.

"Can I come in?" Edward was not going to have this conversation out in the hall. Her neighbors were nosy and he was afraid that things would get messy. And by messy, he meant tears. Possibly his tears.

Bella pushed her door open all the way and Edward followed her into the apartment, shutting the door behind him. He sniffed the air, holding onto a small kernel of hope that she'd made meatloaf after all for dinner, but her apartment smelled like…nothing. She'd probably grabbed something to eat with Alice. Not that he blamed her. He deserved nothing less.

She stood in the middle of the living room now, her arms crossed and her foot tapping a steady beat into the carpet. Edward cleared his throat and decided to sit. He needed to reserve his strength for what lay ahead.

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior, not only for today, but for the past few weeks." Edward thought that was a good start, but Bella looked unimpressed.

"I've heard your apologies before, Edward. So far, they seem to be accompanied by empty promises to change your behavior. I think you need to tell me what's going on."

Edward nodded in response to her request. They needed to talk this out, but he'd already made certain decisions that couldn't be reversed. He hoped that she would understand.

"Bella, before I met you, I'd come home without much hope or plans about my future. I was still pretty broken on the inside. I know that you saw part of that, so I'm hoping you can understand that my motivations upon my return weren't maybe the best that they could have been."

Edward shifted on the sofa, uncomfortable against the thick cushions as he ventured into dangerous territory.

"A few weeks before I met you, I met up with Shakes so we could talk about getting the band back together. The band's been together for a long time, minus the two years I was gone. It took him a while, but Shakes finally convinced me to start playing again. Being back with the band was indescribable. It felt like we'd never been apart, and we really banged out some great stuff. We decided that we would pursue it as far as we could. I…made a promise to them, Bella. A promise to dedicate myself fully to the band. To see everything through. And now, we have all these opportunities opening up to us, and I feel like I'm letting them down. I don't know that I can keep those promises anymore, and it's eating me up from the inside out. I'm being pulled in two different directions, and I don't know what the right choice is."

Bella shook her head. "I don't understand. What is pulling you in a different direction? I know it's not your job at school. And I know how important this opportunity is for you Edward, so what's the big deal?"

Edward closed his eyes, hating himself for what he was about to say. "The big deal is that I can't be committed to the band if I'm constantly worried about how it's going to affect you. I want to be with you almost all the time, so when I'm with the band, I feel guilty. And when I'm with you, I feel like I should be spending more time rehearsing or composing. I can't win. It's not fair to you and it's not fair to the guys."

"So, what are you saying? You want to break up?" Bella's voice cracked, but Edward didn't have the guts to look into her face.

"No!" That was the only thing Edward was positive about. He needed this woman in his life. Most days, he felt like she was the only good thing he had. If only he deserved her, then maybe this wouldn't be so hard. "I just think that we need to take a step back. We see each other all the time and I'm constantly torn between my commitment to you and my commitment to the group. At this point, I need to concentrate on the group."

"You're going to have to spell it out for me Edward, because I still don't know what you're telling me." Bella was pacing the floor now, and her anger radiated away from her body in waves so strong, Edward swore he could feel each crest as it slapped against his face.

"I can't go to Forks with you for Christmas," Edward told her. He instantly wanted to take it back. He wanted to rush across the room, fall to his knees and beg her forgiveness, but he couldn't.

"What?" She whispered, standing directly in front of him now.

"I need to stay here with the band. We have to rehearse, and there's no way we should be giving up those two performances right at the end of December. Plus, the tour will be here before we know it, and I can't just disappear for two weeks." Edward stared at his shoes, wondering how they would look against the tile of his bathtub, because he was seriously considering drowning his sorry ass as soon as he got home. He hated this. He hated himself.

"But, our plane tickets…and my dad," she said, still in that same, sad whisper. As if she didn't speak the words loudly then they wouldn't really be true.

Edward cleared his throat. She was about to get even unhappier with him. "I only bought the one plane ticket – for you. And I'll meet your dad some other time…" Edward hoped that he'd be given the chance to meet her dad some other time anyway. That seemed less and less likely the longer she stood in front of him, completely silent.

"You've been planning this for a while," she said, and Edward felt that hard slap of anger against his face again, stronger now that she was only feet away.

"Yes," he admitted, truthfully. He'd known for at least a week that he wouldn't be going to Forks. And he'd hated himself every minute during that time.

"I'll pay you back for the ticket," Bella told him.

His head shot up and he looked at her in surprise. "You don't have to do that, I don't mind…"

"But, I do mind. Just let me know how much it was and I'll write you a check."

Edward could tell by the tilt of her chin that she was going to insist upon this. He'd wanted to pay for the plane ticket, but it was clearly a losing argument.

"Bella, I…" he didn't know what he was going to say, but he wished he had the words to make it better. To somehow make her understand that it was killing him to do what he was doing. She was the last person he ever wanted to hurt, and he'd done nothing but cause her pain for the past few weeks.

"I think you should go now," she said, walking towards the door and opening it. She held it wide open for him, not giving him much chance to argue unless he wanted to do it in front of the neighbors.

Edward stood slowly and walked across her carpet, feeling as if each step he took was going to be his last. He paused when he stood in front of her, and stared down at the top of her head. Her hair was normally so shiny and bouncy, but she'd been wearing it back and out of her face recently. At least it was beginning to grow back; he'd missed her long hair. Not as much as he was going to miss her though.

"Bella, I love..." he said, but she stopped him before he could finish.

"Don't say it. Not now. Just go."

Edward grimaced. This was not how he wanted to leave her. "I'll call you in a couple days?" Now that he was faced with the point of no return, Edward didn't know how he was going to survive. She was his everything, and he was just going to leave her like this? In some weird limbo where they weren't really dating, but they weren't apart either? It didn't make sense as he tried to sort through it yet again. It had seemed logical two weeks ago when he'd first started thinking about what he needed to do. Now, he wasn't so sure.

It was Bella's turn to grimace, but she finally nodded her head. "Goodbye, Edward," she told him right before she shut the door in his face.

And just like that, she was gone. Edward bit back the angry burn of emotion in his face that threatened to spill over. It was time to grow up and be a man. He'd made commitments, and he was going to stick to them. Edward was done giving up when things got tough. He'd made a decision, and that was that.

Edward walked to his car, drove home, and went to bed. He thought he'd been lonely before Bella Swan walked into his life. It was nothing compared to the loneliness he felt once he shut her out.

***

Bella spent the last few days before winter break practically comatose. Edward had blindsided her with his talk of commitments and distractions. She never would have thought that he considered her to be the undermining force of the success of his band. She was not the Yoko Ono of the Edward Cullen Five. She'd been nothing but supportive of him and his career. And look where it had gotten her.

She wasn't sure where it had gotten her actually. Edward claimed that they were still "together", but they never spoke. She avoided him at school, not knowing how to act around him anymore. What were their new boundaries? Was there a maximum amount of time that they would be allowed to spend together each week? Would he get angry if she approached him during the day? There were no rules for this strange situation she found herself in, and it was disorienting.

Edward never called. Their one communication consisted of an email he sent her with the confirmation number for her plane ticket. And the cost of the plane ticket, per her request. That had been her one dig at him: she knew that he felt like he should pay for everything for her. She could save a little face by paying for her own transportation home.

Charlie was going to be upset. She was going to tell him once she got to Forks. There was no use getting him upset ahead of time. Plus, she'd be in a better position to calm him down in person.

Alice was incredulous when Bella shared the news the next day after school. She was curled up on the old sofa in her office and Bella took her place in her rolling chair.

"What are you two, Ross and Rachel? Does he seriously expect you to sit around while he flies all over Europe, kicking up his heels and hanging out with a bunch of groupies?"

"Alice, you're not helping..." Bella grimaced at the image in her head of Edward seated at his piano with a blonde on his right, a brunette on his left, and a redhead in his lap.

Alice wasn't finished.

"At least he's not trying to tell you that you're 'on a break.'" Alice used air quotes to emphasize her point. "That shit just pisses me off. Bella, I'll be honest. Edward hasn't always been the greatest boyfriend. He's just been more interested in his music than anything else. But, if I had thought for a minute that he would pull this shit with you, I would have warned you off ahead of time. He was just so different around you. I was so sure…"

"Maybe he just needs time…" A French chorus girl in a can-can costume had joined Edward's harem, and Bella was trying to remember enough of her three years of French to tell the Moulin Rouge reject to take her damn hands off her man.

"Time for what? A lobotomy? Ugh – I'm so frustrated right now, Bella."

As the image of Edward and his groupies poofed from her head, Bella realized that Alice's reaction was more intense than her own had been. Bella just felt…numb.

"So, what are you going to do?"

Bella spun Alice's chair in a circle. "What can I do? Wait for his phone call. Go home for Christmas. Come back in January and see what the exact parameters of our new relationship will be. If it's something I can live with, so be it. If not, then…" Bella didn't want to say the words out loud. Edward had only been a part of her life for a short time, but she'd meant what she'd said to him just a few weeks ago when they were discussing Jacob. Her survival without Edward wasn't a sure thing.

"Oh, honey, I wish I could make it all better."

"Me too."

"Do you want your Christmas present now?" Alice's eyes sparkled mischievously as she spoke the question.

"Does it make me an awful person because I want to say yes?"

"Not at all." Alice grabbed her bag off the floor and started rummaging through it. She pulled half the contents out onto the sofa before she finally pulled out a small wrapped box.

"Merry Christmas," she excitedly told Bella as she handed it over.

"Yours is at home. I'll make sure you get it before I leave." Bella had bought Alice a book she'd found online about creating murals for the home based on nude models. She had no problem imagining Alice redesigning her bathroom around one of the themes in the book. Jasper would, of course, begrudgingly participate but would probably prefer to use the guest bathroom from that point going forward.

Bella carefully pulled off the red ribbon and set it aside. The paper was green with holly leaves. She tore that off, not as carefully and opened the lid of the flat, white box that lay underneath.

Bella laughed as she pulled the gift out, letting it dangle from her fingers for further inspection. "I haven't seen one of these since I was in the 8th grade."

"I know it's a little corny, but I assure you it's made out of 24k gold and it won't turn your wrist green. I have the other half."

Alice held up her own wrist for inspection, revealing a delicate gold-link bracelet with a small disk-shaped charm that had been split down the middle. Bella held her half up to Alice's to read the words.

"Best Friends." Bella felt the threat of tears and blinked them back. She didn't want to cry – not over this anyway.

"I never had any close girl friends when I was younger," Alice told her softly. "We moved around some, and never really settled until we moved to Chicago. I always wanted a best friend, and boys make ok friends, but I was a little jealous of the girls that always seemed to have someone to whisper to during study hall or hold their hair while they puked in the bushes. Bella – if I had long hair, would you hold it back for me while I puked in the bushes?" Alice smiled, but Bella knew she wasn't making a joke.

"Absolutely." Bella slipped the bracelet on her wrist and let Alice close the clasp. "Thank you."

They held their wrists out and let their bracelets dangle together, catching the glow from the fluorescent lights over head. The tiny clinking that the jewelry made as the metal bounced and jangled was soon joined by the sound of two giggling women.

***

Jasper showed up at 4 am on Saturday to give Bella a ride to the airport. She thanked him profusely several times for agreeing to be her chauffeur with such late notice. Alice, thankfully, was feeling better now that they'd started her on a new round of medications. She did not accompany them to the airport though, explaining that she still needed her "beauty rest."

Bella was going to miss Alice. And Jasper. And Emmett and Rosalie. And Jessica and her weird stories about Marcus. Even the guy that showed up every morning in the fitness room to work out with them.

Most of all, she was going to miss Edward. No matter how much he'd hurt her feelings, she knew that he had some crazy, ridiculous, dumbass logic behind his decision. She'd give him the space he needed to figure things out. And then, if he couldn't get his crap together, she'd do what she needed to do. She didn't know what that would be, but she had time to come up with a plan.

The flight home was long and tiring. Bella hated to fly. She had nightmares about planes crashing, and the turbulence they hit over Minneapolis didn't help matters.

By the time she landed at Sea-Tac, she was a mess. She wanted nothing more than to curl up into her father's arms and let him make everything better. His friendly face would wash away all the hurt and they could get down to the business of spending the holidays together, just like they always did.

She walked down the ramp, frantically searching the crowd for Charlie. His mop of curls was so like her own, though a little grayer, and it was usually easy to find in a crowd. She frowned as she walked through the crowded airport, not finding a friendly face. She knew that she'd given him the right time and flight number. Where could he be?

"Bells!" Bella turned at the sound of her name, desperately glad to have someone happy to see her. She knew that her dad was just the cure that she needed.

Only it wasn't Charlie that bounded up to her moments later, like a puppy greeting its master at the end of a long work day. The man that stood before her was just as familiar to her as her father, but he was the last man she expected to see waiting in the airport for her.

His face fell at her obvious confusion and lack of enthusiasm.

"Jacob? What are you doing here?"


	24. Chapter 24

DISCLAIMER: I still do not own Twilight. It is all Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

"Charlie asked me to pick you up. He said you had a surprise for me." Jacob's eyes raked over Bella's face, hungry for it. She seemed different, but he wasn't sure how, exactly. Her hair was shorter and she had some new clothes. She seemed taller, as if her presence took up more space that it ever had before. That didn't make any sense though. She'd been the same height for almost ten years now.

Yet, Jacob couldn't help but feel as if he was seeing her for the first time. Her eyes were the same dark brown color, but they sparkled as if she had a million stars captured in her irises. Her lips were a pretty shade of pink, but had they always been so full and tempting? Holy shit – did he just combine "Bella" and "tempting" in the same thought? What was wrong with him? Jacob shook his head and smiled at Bella some more. He was just glad to see her. After her strange behavior of a few months ago, he'd been afraid that he'd never see her again. But here she was, minus the scary friend who'd called and threatened to unman him. He could talk to Bella all he wanted to now without the threat of that hanging over his head.

"You look great!" He told her, as he led the way to the baggage claim.

"Yeah, my yoga pants and t-shirt scream sophistication. Um…not to seem rude or anything, but why did you say that my dad sent you?"

Jacob actually wasn't sure himself. Charlie had called him yesterday and told him what time to be at the airport to pick up Bella. Like Jacob was going to argue with a chance to see her. "I dunno. He said that you'd have a surprise for me. Unless it's hiding in your suitcase, I don't see anything too surprising yet." Except for the way her hips wiggled when she walked and the bounce of her tits against her top. Holy fuck – now he was staring at her body! When had she started acting like a girl?

Jacob watched her bend over to retrieve her suitcase from the luggage carousel. He didn't just watch her with dispassionate interest though – he watched the curve of her ass as she bent over. He watched the muscles of her left leg as it kicked back to keep her balance so she could reach her bag. He watched the smooth line of her back as she straightened up and turned around.

Jacob shook his head, trying to knock around the few brain cells he had banging around up there. For whatever reason, he was out of whack. He never looked at Bella like this, as if she was an actual girl. Obviously, she was a girl, but she was just Bella. His best friend, Bella. His life-long pal who'd been there with him from day one; learning to ride bikes together, hocking loogies off the fishing pier, catching toads and hiding them in their pockets.

He'd always thought of Bella as being sexless. Her gender had never mattered to him, except for when the assholes of Forks began sniffing around, and then he'd been forced to protect her. Other than that, she was just a person. A person who meant the world to him, though he might not have treated her in the best possible way. He'd finally been able to see pieces of why she'd been angry with him. But, he wasn't going to think about that today. They would have time for that later. Charlie said that she was here for two weeks, and he intended to spend as much of that time with Bella as possible. Before she went back to freaking Happy Town, USA, he was going to have his best friend back.

Jacob led the way to his car, asking Bella about her flight along the way. He wanted to keep things light for now. He couldn't help sneaking glances at her face though. He was like a man lost in the desert, and Bella was a tall glass of water. He was almost afraid that she was a mirage. That if he looked away for too long, she would disappear like a figment of his imagination.

He eventually realized that she'd been struggling with her rather large and noisy suitcase. The thing had wheels, but they sounded like an old serpentine belt getting ready to split in two.

"Here, let me get that for you." Jacob picked up the suitcase by the handle and carried it easily in one hand. She gave him a disgruntled look but allowed him his show of manly strength. "Hey! I can't help it if you're a weakling."

"Maybe you should lay off the 'roids for a while. Then I wouldn't seem like Olive Oyl in comparison."

Jacob laughed, throwing his head back in the process. She hadn't lost her sense of humor. Maybe she was still the same Bella he'd always known after all.

"Seriously, Jake, what have you done to yourself? Your arms are huge." He watched with interest as her eyes remained fixed on his bulging biceps. Jake gave them a little flex, never able to resist showing off at least a little bit for an appreciative female eye.

He shrugged after she kept watching him, waiting for a response he assumed. "Just been working out with the guys. There's a gym down the street from the garage, and we usually hit it a few mornings each week." He'd actually been spending most of his free time there recently, but he didn't want to brag.

"How much can you bench?" She asked, and he cocked an eyebrow at the question.

"300," he replied, with a smile. He'd actually just started lifting at that weight and it was no small feat in his book.

She nodded and Jake started looking for his car in the parking garage. The December air was cold and damp, just like always, but he was anxious to get Bella inside his car. She kept rubbing her arms like she was cold. Jacob wasn't wearing a coat, and he felt hot. But he was always hotter than everyone else anyway.

"I've been doing bicep curls with 5-lb weights," she told him.

Jacob laughed at her joke. Bella had never been interested in sports or physical fitness, but he realized that Bella wasn't laughing. Actually, she looked a little pissed that he was laughing at all.

"Shit, you're serious! I'm sorry Bells. I thought you were being funny." Jacob coughed to hide his embarrassment. "So, uh, how long have you been working out?"

"A couple months," she replied, grinning at his stumbling attempt at an apology. "I've been running too, without falling down on my face." It was Bella's turn to look proud, as she should have been.

"Have you alerted the media? Cause that news needs to be reported and recorded. What else have you been up to?" Jacob wanted to hear about everything now. How her classes were going, what she did for fun, the books that she'd been reading. It had taken him a while, but he'd finally figured out that he actually missed her. It had been a hard lesson once he figured out that she'd left a void in his life and it wasn't just because he'd been left without a friend. He'd been left without Bella. And no one could ever replace Bella.

Jacob finally spotted his car and clicked the alarm off as they approached. Bella gasped and stopped in her tracks.

"Is that your car?" She asked, grinning from ear to ear.

She hadn't forgotten after all.

"Yep," he replied. "Just picked her up a few weeks ago." The black Dodge Charger that they stood in front of had been Jacob's dream car for three years, ever since Dodge first announced its reissue. He'd been saving all that time to get one, and finally, due to his promotion, he'd been able to finish saving up for the down payment.

"Jake….it's beautiful." Bella walked towards it lovingly and trailed a finger along the hood.

"She," he corrected her, trying not to cringe at the fingerprints she was leaving behind on the surface of his baby.

Bella rolled her eyes. "What is it with guys and their cars? I suppose you've named her too." She stood by the passenger door while Jacob popped the trunk and tossed her luggage inside.

"Who names their cars? That sounds pretty lame to me. But, she is definitely female. Please don't disrespect the machinery." Jacob slid into the black leather seat and started the engine, pleased at the purring sound that met his ears.

Bella slid in next to him, shutting her door with a soft click. Jacob was instantly overwhelmed by the scent of Bella. It seemed like her very essence oozed out of her pores and made a beeline for his nose. He felt like he'd been locked in a chamber filled with everything that he desired but knew that he shouldn't over-indulge: chocolate chip cookies, a bottle of Jack, and warm sweet pussy.

Jacob shifted in his seat, his cock engorged with the desire and want that he'd never experienced in Bella's presence before – not ever. Shit, this was not good. Her scent was fresh and clean, and she actually smelled just like she always had. But there was something there now, underlying everything else that he'd never noticed before. Something that made him rock hard and aching. He quickly cracked his window, trying to air out the car. He couldn't spend the next three hours trapped inside his car with his dick and Bella.

As he eased into traffic and towards I-5, Jacob desperately needed to get his mind off the sweet, alluring smell of Bella Swan.

"So, is my surprise in your suitcase? Cause, I've gotta be honest. Your luggage is heavy enough for at least ten surprises." Jacob laughed, trying to ease the tension in the car. He snuck a glance at Bella, wondering if she noticed it too, but she only glanced back at him with a sad smile on her face.

"I'm not positive, but if the surprise is what I think it was supposed to be, then it got left behind in Bear Lake." Bella pursed her lips after she spoke and looked out her window.

Jacob was confused now. Charlie had been pretty insistent upon Jacob showing up at the airport to collect whatever surprise that Bella had brought for him. However, Bella seemed to think that she had left it behind. Something just wasn't adding up.

"You know, Charlie pretty much forced me to come pick you up. I want you to know that I didn't go all stalker on you and figure out when you were flying in so I could be there to meet your plane. Yeah, I've been wanting to talk to you, but I figured there'd be time enough for that during your visit."

Bella nodded her head, but she was quiet for a moment. She took a deep breath, and turned her head to look at him. Jacob sent a smile her way. It felt good to have her home again.

"Jacob, I'm seeing someone." Her words hung in the air, and Jacob gave them time to sink into his hard skull. "He was supposed to come home with me for Christmas, but something came up and he had to change his plans at the last minute. I don't know why, but I think that was the 'surprise' that Charlie was talking about."

Jacob laughed, not knowing what his response should be. "Sounds like a weird surprise to me." Truthfully, Jacob didn't know how he would have reacted if she'd shown up with some dude fresh off the plane. Would he have been happy? Angry? Sad? Upset? Indifferent? No, definitely not indifferent. He was learning more towards pissed at the moment, but there was no way he would ever know for sure.

"So, uh, you must really be into this guy if you were bringing him home with you. What's his name?" Jacob wanted a name to go along with the face he had pictured in his head, so when he hit the bag later on that day, he'd know who he'd be punching.

"Edward," Bella said, with a hint of sadness in her voice. Jacob immediately went on alert. If nothing else, he could tell when Bella was upset about something.

"Hey, what's wrong? Did you guys break up or something?" Jacob crossed his fingers, hoping for just that scenario. He didn't want to examine why he wanted that so bad.

"No. It's just been…weird…between us for the past few weeks. Look, can we not talk about Edward right now?"

Edward, Edward…where had he heard that name before? It hit him like a ton of bricks. "Isn't that the guy who was giving you such a hard time at school? Fuck, Bells, you've been dating him?" It didn't make sense to Jacob. Why would she go out with someone who thought so little of her?

Bella laughed, and it took him by surprise. "I can't believe you remembered his name."

Jacob shrugged. "I don't know. Most of what you say sinks in and gets locked away." He might not have the greatest memory in the world, but he was pretty sure that he always listened when she talked.

"It's just…you used to call him everything but 'Edward.' Like you couldn't remember his name. And it never seemed like you were actually listening to me…"

Jacob thought back to the phone calls they'd had after she moved away. Of course he listened to her – hadn't he? "I thought I did a good job of listening…"

"Oh, Jake, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your listening skills suck. Big time. Why do you think I always wrote down the grocery list when I sent you to the store, even when it was for just one or two things?" She seemed to be laughing at his expense now, which was actually a vast improvement over being sad and unhappy.

"I dunno. I thought it was just your way of taking care of things." Jacob was going to have to revisit this thought later. He'd never thought of himself as being a bad listener.

As they got in line for the ferry, Jacob had a decision to make, but he wanted Bella's input first. "Um, we're going to be driving right through Port Angeles, and I know you're probably tired from your flight, but would you want to stop by the garage on our way through and say hi to the guys?" Jacob had already promised Quil and Embry that's what they would do, but he had no problem changing the plans if Bella wasn't up to it.

Fortunately, her face lit up with the first real smile he'd seen since he'd picked her up. "Yeah, you know, I would. Did Quil and Embry move up to Port Angeles too?"

"You know those two losers follow me everywhere I go." Really, Jacob didn't know how he would have gotten through the past two months without them. They'd always been tight, but now they were like the Three Musketeers or some shit. "I may have told them we'd stop by, so don't be scared if they try to jump you or something when we get there."

Jacob may have two more faces to punch in once they got there, if they saw the differences in Bella as clearly as he did. Shit, this actually presented an entire roster of problems. How many men was he going to have to beat off her ass for the next two weeks? And how did that dumbass boyfriend of hers deal with it? It was no surprise that she wasn't single anymore. She'd probably been bombarded as soon as she got there. Jacob only hoped that this asshole Edward guy deserved her, but Jacob wasn't so sure. Who blew off their girlfriend over the holidays? Way to make an impression on her father too, cocksucker.

Shit, Charlie was going to have a fit when Bella showed up without this guy she was supposed to bring home. Jacob should have known something was up when Charlie had that maid service come in and clean the house from top to bottom. He just thought he'd done it for Bella's benefit, so she wouldn't feel like she had to clean or take care of Charlie while she was home. Little did he know that Charlie had been preparing to greet Bella's boyfriend with open arms.

Jacob carefully eased his car onto the Ferry and shut the engine off. "Do you want to get out and walk around?" The drive home was long, and while they were going to stop in Port Angeles first, Jacob needed the chance to stretch his long legs.

Bella nodded and they followed the throngs of passengers out of the auto hold and up to the deck where they could stretch and keep warm inside the heated cabin. The day's rain loomed in the distance, but for now, they could walk around the outer edge if they wanted to.

Jacob took Bella's hand and led her to the front of the ferry. The wind was stronger there, but the view was worth the extra effort. Bella shivered as she stood next to him. Jacob clucked his tongue and pulled her into the space between his body and the ship's railing. "That Illinois weather is turning you into a wimp. You used to be tougher," he teased her, trying not to be obvious about sniffing the strands of hair that whipped against his face. He'd been smart and tied his own long hair back and out of the way.

"We get a lot more snow there. But you're right, I've gotten used to seeing the sun. I might actually miss it for the next two weeks."

They were quiet, and Jacob used the opportunity to inch his body closer to Bella's. He'd never been close to her like this before. He was aware of her body heat and soft curves. If she'd been any other woman, he would have pressed his groin up against her ass by now to show her just how badly he'd been affected. But, he couldn't do that to Bella, for many reasons. He was having a hard time reconciling Bella his best friend with this new Bella, the one whose body and hotness he was just discovering.

She turned her head back towards him to be heard over the surf and wind. "Do you remember the last time we took this ferry?"

Jacob racked his brain, but came up blank. Had he ever been on a ferry with Bella before?

"No, not really," he finally admitted.

"We went to Seattle for the day. On the way back, you acted like a total shit and I stayed mad at you for days."

Jacob was surprised. "I can't believe I don't remember that. I would have checked it off of my 'act like shit to Bella' calendar so I could fill my monthly quota." He laughed and pulled her in closer. She was so tiny in his arms. "What did I do?"

She shook her head, tossing more brown curls in his direction. "It doesn't matter any more. Being here on the deck reminded me of that day, that's all. Tell me about the garage. Do have enough business to keep busy?"

Jacob wasn't so dumb that he didn't recognize a change in topic. Whatever he'd done must have been pretty stupid. Jacob sighed and told her all about the garage and the boring stuff he did all day. Meanwhile, in the back of his head, he tried to remember their trip to Seattle. Not much popped into his head. Jacob wasn't afraid to admit that he'd been a dick for a while. He'd spent a long time thinking with his little head instead of the big one, so he'd made a lot of mistakes along the way. But, just like Bella seemed to be different, he was a changed man too. He couldn't wait to show her just how much he'd changed.

The ferry neared the western port and they made their way back to the warmth of the car. Jacob stared at Bella as she tried to fix her hair. "Why did you cut your hair?" He asked, curious. She'd always had long hair. It was odd seeing her without it.

She bit her lip and snuck a glance at him before turning back to the sun visor's mirror. "I just wanted a change. I don't like it very much though. I'm growing it back – it's grown in another inch already."

Jacob recognized the lip-biting for the tactic that it was. She wasn't telling him the whole truth. She either looked at her feet or bit her lip when she was uncomfortable or not telling the whole truth. She might think that she was fooling him, but he knew her too well for that to work.

Jacob tugged his hair out of its rubberband and shook it out. "I bet my hair's longer than yours now." Bella laughed as he leaned forward and shook his hair in her face, so she could get a closer look.

He sat back against the seat with a sigh. Bella reached across the seat and rubbed a strand of his black hair between her fingers. "It is longer than mine. That doesn't seem right."

Jacob watched her fingers as they slid along the ebony strands. She sat on the edge of her seat, with her hips faced in his direction. All he had to do was pick her up by her elbows and she'd be sitting in his lap. Her cute little ass nestled against his cock. His mouth would settle against hers and he'd slip his tongue inside for a taste of heaven.

The blare of the car horn behind them made both of them jump. Jacob realized that the traffic ahead of them had already moved off the boat. He also realized that Bella had been caught in the same grasp of arousal that had hold of him. Her tell-tale blush covered her from the neck up. Her hand shook as she tried to buckle her seatbelt, and she refused to look at him.

Jacob leaned over and snapped the belt into place, letting his hands "accidentally" bump against hers. He didn't know what was going on, but he was determined to find out. Something had shifted in their relationship, and they owed it to themselves to see it through. Boyfriend or not, Bella was just as affected by his presence as he was hers.

He spent the rest of the ride to Port Angeles with the window cracked. The fresh air continued to work its magic. Thankfully, it also brought the tension level in the car down. Bella relaxed and told him all about her friends. When she mentioned Alice "scary chick" Whitlock, Jacob couldn't help but flinch. That bitch had scared him so bad he'd bought two baseball bats: one for his apartment and the other for the garage, just in case she decided to send someone after him regardless. He refrained from mentioning that incident to Bella. She probably already knew that her friend had psychotic tendencies and he'd look like a shithead for mentioning it.

She also told him about the Scrabble club she'd joined, which made sense in a weird, Bella way. He'd only played the game once with her and Charlie, and they'd beat him so bad he'd sworn never to play again. His mastery of the English language was under continuous debate.

It was mid-afternoon by the time they rolled into the city limits of Port Angeles. Charlie was expecting them for dinner, so they only had an hour or so to spend in town. Jacob drove them straight to the garage, anxious to show off for Bella a little. He'd be a liar if he said he wasn't nervous. He craved her approval right then like he craved the smell of the ocean and the wind on his back.

The bay doors were open when they pulled into the lot, and there were two cars up on the lifts. Jacob was glad they actually managed to get some work done on the few days that he took time off. He pulled his car into his spot around the side of the building, away from the traffic flow of the shop and next to the steps that led up to his apartment.

They got out of the car, and Jacob breathed in deep. They were close enough to the bay that he could smell the salt air, and it mixed with the oil from the shop in a way that only he probably found appealing. He stretched his arms high over his head, glad to be out of the car for a while.

He smiled at Bella, ready to show her the shop. He waved his hand for her to follow him, but before he even reached the corner of the building, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum barreled around it at full speed and picked a laughing Bella up off the ground.

"Bella! How's my favorite girl?" Embry spun her around in his arms, her feet not even touching the ground. He was almost as tall as Jacob now, much to his displeasure. Embry finally set her back on her feet and Quil pulled her in for a quick hug. Jacob rolled his eyes, tempted to call out the bastard on his behavior. Quil had been dating the same girl for a few months now, which was practically a world record for him. He'd been careful about keeping his distance from other women the moment he and Claire had become "official."

Officially ridiculous, Jacob thought. Claire was barely 18, which they'd celebrated a few weeks ago in a mutually beneficial way. Quil was just happy that he didn't have to worry about jail bait anymore.

Jacob stood back as Bella talked animatedly with his friends, glad to see her real smile on her face again. This is how the past few hours should have gone. This peaceful sense of all the pieces being back in place and the calm that wrapped around them. All that other weird stuff that had built up in the car between them really didn't belong. This feeling of happiness and completion was what he'd been missing, and all that he needed.

He eventually sent them back to work, and then showed Bella around the garage. It was small, but they kept it clean and neat for the most part. While they walked around, he made sure she didn't step in any grease or into one of the pits. She was usually accident-prone and he wasn't going to take any chances.

When they neared the end of the tour, Jacob rubbed his hands together in an effort to build up some courage. He was hesitant to ask…but he really wanted to.

"Do you want to see my apartment?" He lived right upstairs, so it wasn't like it was out of the way. Plus, they needed to leave soon and it would only take a minute…

"Sure," she replied, without any hesitation.

Jacob let out the breath he hadn't even known he'd been holding. He didn't know why he was nervous. It wasn't like she hadn't ever been to his dad's house or anything. This just seemed monumental. And personal. Yeah, like he was getting ready to expose his private thoughts or something.

He led the way up the creaky, wooden stairs and unlocked his door. He held the door open as she went in and closed it behind the both of them.

He wanted to open it again as soon as they were closed into the room together. It was almost as bad as being cooped up in the car with her. She wandered around his small apartment, talking to him the whole time, but Jacob didn't hear a word she said. All he saw was Bella, his bed, and the box of condoms that he kept under the nightstand.

She was in his miniscule kitchen now, pointing and laughing at something on the windowsill, but Jacob didn't have a flying fuck of a clue what she was talking about.

The look on his face must have been fierce, because as soon as she turned around and looked at him, the smile disappeared from her face.

"Jacob?" She asked, and the question hung in the air. It was the first word he'd understood since he'd closed the door. Jacob, indeed. What did Jacob want? He thought that he'd wanted his best friend back, but maybe that wasn't going to be enough. Now that he saw her curves and her smile and smelled her heat, he wasn't sure that they could go back. Back to just Jacob and Bella.

He walked across the length of his apartment, the old wooden floor creaking beneath his weight. His gaze remained fixed on her face. He stopped inches away from her body, her familiar eyes frozen on his face. Jacob knew what he needed to do now. He only hoped that it was the right thing to do. He just didn't know anymore, and there was no way he was capable of making a coherent decision when lust was coursing through his veins and his heart beat so loudly that he could hear its echo in his ears.

He grabbed her hand and tugged her closer, until she was flush against his body. Her eyes were wide, and she looked scared. Jacob covered her small hand with his larger one, and held it pressed against his chest, right over his frantically beating heart. "Do you feel that?" He asked. "Do you feel what you're doing to me, Bells? I don't know what's going on here, but I just want to kiss you so bad…"

Jacob leaned his head towards hers, holding her small hand captive. He didn't know what her reaction was going to be, but he didn't want her running away. Not anymore.

Jacob kept his eyes open the whole time. He wasn't going to miss a minute of what was to come. He wanted to stare into Bella's eyes when their lips met, see the wave of pleasure as it swept across her sweet, expressive face. This girl, no, this woman, that stood before him was his best friend in the whole wide world. He'd never realized that she could be something so much more.

His lips were close enough now that he could feel her erratic breaths as they escaped through her open mouth. Her eyes darted left and right, and Jacob only held her tighter. She was like a rabbit that had been frightened in the forest, frozen in place and unsure how to proceed.

"Bella," Jacob whispered her name across her mouth as he lowered his lips that extra inch to her mouth. The first swipe of his lips against hers was soft and hesitant. He came back again, and a third time for good measure. She didn't resist, but she wasn't participating either. He used the strength of his lips to pull hers open and breathed into her mouth, letting his air mingle with hers. His tongue darted out and slid inside her mouth. He took his time tasting her, willing her to kiss him back.

His hand still held hers in place, but her body shifted slightly. It was small, but Jacob noticed the difference. Instead of clinging to his hand she grabbed him tighter and held him close. Their interlocked hands bound them to one another and Bella finally relaxed into their kiss. She darted her tongue out to meet his, and Jacob was hungry for it. He delved even further, feeling as if he was trying to devour her mouth. She pulled him in close, but her reaction remained the same. She returned his kisses but almost in an unattached manner.

Jacob growled into her mouth, wanting to see her passion rise as high as his. He started walking them backwards towards his bed. It beckoned to him like a light in the fog. Her legs finally hit the bed and she toppled down with a small thump. Her hand and mouth wrenched out of his reach, and before he could climb onto the bed to join her, Bella rolled across the bed and off the other side.

"No!" She yelled, crouching down into a defensive position of all things. As if he would ever harm her.

"Bells," he said to her, keeping his distance and holding his hands up, trying not to frighten her any further. "It's ok."

She turned back around, and crumpled to the floor at the edge of his bed. Tears flowed across her cheeks and it was Jacob's turn to freeze in place. This was not the reaction he'd been expecting. He'd never had a girl cry on him just as he was making his move. And this was Bella. This moment should have been sweet and satisfying.

He walked around to the other side of the bed and joined her on the floor. She held her head in her hands and sobbed openly now. The tears chased his erection away, and as his head cleared from the raging testosterone, he realized why Bella might be upset. Jacob had practically forced himself on her. She'd been a participant, but just barely. Jacob had misread the signs, and now he felt like ten shades of assmunch. Bella needed him to be a friend right now, and not some generic loser trying to get inside her pants. It didn't mean he didn't want to still get in her pants, but he was willing to just be her friend, for now.

Wanting to give her some space, he tried to stay away from the small piece of floor that she'd claimed as her own. After a few minutes, the sobbing became unbearable to witness. They were loud, wet, and shook her body violently. He reached over and scooped her small body up and placed her in his lap. He held her damp face against his chest and placed his hand on her hair.

"Just let it out Bells," he told her. "We'll make it better."

Jacob hoped he could keep that promise. He had an awful feeling that the only way to make it better was to talk about this Edward guy. Stupid cocksucker.

He rocked her back and forth through the tears, and watched solemnly as the sky got darker and the afternoon got later. Soon, it was completely dark in his apartment apart from the glow of the digital clock on the TV.

Jacob brushed the hair out of Bella's face as she sat up to face him. No big surprise that she waited until he couldn't actually see her anymore.

"Tell me what happened?" He phrased it as a question, figuring she wouldn't like it too well as a demand.

"I love him," Bella said, and the words cut through his chest like a knife. He closed his eyes against the pain and choked back all the arguments he had. Friend he repeated in his head. He needed to be her friend.

"He's got this jazz group and they're actually pretty awesome. They've got a producer interested in working with them and they've signed on for a jazz festival tour in February. He's such an amazing musician." She droned on for few minutes about the "amazingness of Edward" and Jacob had to actually swallow the bile that threatened to come up his throat. Was she for real? He'd never heard her gush about some guy before. He wished that he could see her face. Then he'd know her real thoughts. Her face told everything.

She paused for a breath, and Jacob took the opportunity to jump in, "If he's so amazing, how come he's not here with you right now?" How come you're in my arms? How come I'm the last man to have kissed your lips? He didn't ask those questions. Friend, he repeated in his head. Friend, Schmiend.

"He decided that he couldn't take the time away from the band. They're so busy preparing for everything. Two weeks is a long time."

Jacob couldn't believe what he was hearing. Girls made no sense. "You're making a lot of excuses for someone that you were just crying your eyes out over."

"I wasn't crying because of Edward," she told him in a small voice.

Jacob blinked at the sound of her voice. Bella was curled in his lap as if she were trying to make herself as small as possible. It was a complete contrast from the woman who had stepped off the plane just hours ago. She'd been like an Amazon warrior, coming home to celebrate her victory. Now, she reminded him very much of the girl who had left town just a few months ago.

"Why were you crying then?"

"I shouldn't have kissed you," she whispered and crawled out of his lap to sit on the floor next to him.

The garage below was closed now, and Jacob could feel the cold air that filled the empty bays below the apartment against the denim of his jeans. He realized that they'd been sitting on the floor for a while, and while he had no intention of discontinuing their conversation, he did want to move Bella to somewhere more comfortable.

"Come on," he said, standing and holding his hand out to help her off the floor. He led them to the small table and chairs he had set up next to his tiny kitchen. He pulled out a chair for her and through the light of the street lamp outside the window, watched her settle gently into the chair.

"I'm not sorry I kissed you," he told her, listening for the little voice in his head that had been chanting at him. It was silent now. "Bells, what just happened between us was, like, better than that day we discovered we could pick the lock on Embry's tool shed. Remember? We moved all his shit around and he get so pissed because his spoke wrench wasn't in the exact right spot. That kiss was a hundred times better than that feeling. I don't know what it is, but there's something different about you. It's like I'm seeing you for the first time, and you're so freaking sexy…I just had no idea."

"Jake, just stop, please." Her voice sounded strained, and Jacob would bet his new car that she was blushing too.

"You felt it too. The way you relaxed into my arms – you can't fake that." His voice deepened as he recalled that moment with perfect clarity. He was going to use it later when he jacked off. Shit! He'd never thought of Bella while jacking off before – this was definitely a day for some firsts.

"I think you need to take me to Forks now. Jacob, that can't happen again. I'm in love with Edward. You caught me off guard and I'm not myself. I…we need to talk at some point, but I can't deal with anything else today. Please, just take me home."

Jacob sighed and scratched his nose. So be it. She could run, but she couldn't hide. He knew exactly where she was going to be for the next two weeks, and she would have to talk to him at some point.

He waited outside on the landing while she "freshened up." She probably didn't want her dad to see the tear streaks on her face. Jacob was completely off-balance. This day had turned out totally different from what he'd imagined. If you had told him a week ago that he'd be sporting a major boner for Bella Swan, he would have laughed. Yet, the evidence was unmistakable. He wasn't sure that he wanted to have a major boner for Bella Swan. Maybe she was right…if she was in love with that cocksucker Edward, then there wasn't room in her life for Jacob. Especially not this Jacob, who could barely think past the end of his dick today.

Friends. That damn word popped back into his head again. He had time to figure out what it meant. And he meant to use all that time to his advantage. One way or another, he would know where he stood with Bella by the end of her vacation. Friend, foe, lover, brother. He would be one of those. They would have to hash out which it was going to be.

***

The drive to Forks took longer than usual. The logging trucks were moving slower than usual, or maybe it was the impatient way in which Bella sat in the seat beside him. Whatever it was, it seemed like it must have been midnight by the time he pulled into the driveway in front of the Swan residence. It was a place that Jacob knew as well as his own father's house. Maybe even better.

Bella jumped out of the car as soon as he had stopped and ran inside the house. Jacob sighed as he got out and stretched his limbs again. He still had the ride back to Port Angeles to look forward to. He wouldn't be able to stay long this evening, but he'd be back tomorrow, whether Bella realized it or not. He pulled her forgotten bag out of the trunk and made his way into the house.

Charlie must have been waiting for them at the kitchen table. Bella was wrapped in his arms, and shit, she was crying again. Charlie looked a little stricken: she must have told him about Edward the cocksucker already. His eyes, which were exactly like Bella's, flashed to Jacob as he entered the room, looking for some guidance on how to deal with an emotional, adult daughter. Jacob wanted to laugh. He'd failed in his own dealings with Bella that day. Charlie was on his own.

Bella finally stepped out of her dad's embrace and wiped her eyes. Charlie looked relieved as soon as she sat down at the table.

"Well, I'm glad to have you home Bella. Uh…have you eaten? Are you hungry? I ate a few hours ago…I was expecting you home in time for dinner." This time his angry glare was directed at Jacob. Clearly he'd failed in producing the daughter in time for dinner.

"Sorry, Dad," Bella told him, managing to produce a weak smile. "We stopped in Port Angeles so Jacob could show me the shop."

Charlie grunted and leaned back in his chair. "I tried calling you…I was getting concerned."

Bella frowned and then jumped up to retrieve her bag from the counter. Jacob watched in interest as her hips wiggled around the maze of chairs and table that were too large for the small space of the kitchen. When he turned back around, Charlie was looking at him with a frown on his face. Busted. Definitely not a good idea to get caught by the old man while ogling his daughter.

Bella pulled her cell phone out and powered it up. She held it up for inspection and shrugged sheepishly. "I forgot to turn it back on after we landed. You know, in the excitement of my unexpected chauffeur and all." She gave her dad a good long stare then, and he at least had the grace to stare at the floor instead of meeting her gaze. Bella, like Jake, hadn't been fooled by Charlie's secretive attempts at subterfuge.

Jacob stood and headed to the oven to see what was on the menu for dinner when two things happened. First, Bella's phone emitted a piercing ring tone that was completely at odds with the somber mood that had settled over the Swan kitchen. Second, Bella shrieked and jumped back a step, as if she could escape her ringing phone.

Rolling his eyes, Jacob pulled out the lasagna dish that lay in wait in the oven. She got startled by practically everything, including her ringing cell phone apparently. What he heard next made his head pop up and away from the tantalizing smell of home-cooked pasta goodness.

"Edward?" Bella said, right before she raced out of the kitchen and down the hall. Jacob heard the slam of the front door as she ran out into the cold, wet December night. Jacob looked at Charlie to gauge his reaction, and he looked just as stunned.

Lasagna forgotten for the moment, Jacob turned on the man who'd been like a second father to him for his entire life.

"You've got some explaining to do. You sent me to the airport on purpose. You wanted me to meet this Edward jerk. And I want to know why."

Charlie grunted and nodded his head. "You needed to see that she was taken now. Bella's moved on. It's time you did the same." With that parting thought, Charlie stood and made his way to the front door, probably wanting to check on Bella.

Jacob stood at the counter, staring at a piece of lasagna that he was no longer hungry for. He was positive it was the first time he'd ever not wanted a piece of lasagna too. This crazy day had just taken an even crazier turn, but those few brain cells in his head were kicking into action again.

Bella. Hot. Bella. Sweet. Bella. Sexy. Bella. Boyfriend. Bella. Sad. Bella. Belonging. Bella. Right. Bella. Taste. Bella. Hurt. Bella. Closed. Bella. Tears. Bella. Friend. Bella. Bella. Bella.

Somewhere in that mad scramble of thoughts was something that made sense. Jacob was going to figure it out. He had to – his whole life depended on it.


	25. Chapter 25

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters.

* * *

"Edward?" Bella said again into her phone, as she made her way out of the house and onto the front lawn. "The reception's terrible…I can barely hear you."

Bella's heart pounded in her chest loudly while she waited for a reply. She hadn't talked to Edward in five days, two hours, and eight minutes. Give or take. She hadn't realized how hungry she was for the sound of his voice.

The only sound that met her ears was the crackle of whatever cell phone tower was trying to ping her call. From the sound of it, it was probably coming from Port Angeles. Why hadn't the network been updated in Forks yet? Oh yeah, probably because there were only a couple hundred people in town who actually used cell phones. Bella groaned in frustration as she repeated Edward's name again. She wasn't going to hang up her phone until it went dead – she was that desperate to hear his voice.

"Bella?" She finally heard, and she sagged to the cold, wet ground in relief. "Bella…call…all day…plane…hours…" his voice went in and out, and she only caught part of what he was saying.

"Edward!" She tried yelling, as if that would magically make the connection better. "I forgot to turn my phone back on after we landed. Can you hear me?" No response, so she kept talking…hoping that he was still listening. "I'm at my dad's now. Maybe you should try calling me on the house line instead." She repeated the number aloud for him, not having any real hope that he would actually be able to make out the phone number to her father's house over their poor connection.

Silence rang in her ears now. She couldn't even hear the static of their connection anymore. She pulled the phone away from her ear to check if they were even still connected. The seconds of the call length continued to tick away, so Bella decided to keep talking. Whether he could hear her or not, she had some things to say.

"I miss you Edward. I wish you were here with me. The plane ride was awful. I thought I was going to get bumped out of my seat, the plane was rocking that much." She laughed into the silence, trying to push away the fear that she'd felt at that moment. "Jacob picked me up from the airport. Apparently, Charlie thought it would be funny if my boyfriend and ex-best friend came face-to-face immediately upon our arrival. I don't know what he was thinking. Anyway, his plan backfired. I told Jacob about you. He seemed…surprised. I don't know…it was weird being with him again, but kind of the same, all wrapped up together. We didn't really talk, not like you think I should talk to him, but I will."

The silence dragged on and Bella felt silly. But, it was actually cathartic, being able to talk to him without fear of condemnation from his end. "You're not Charlie's favorite person right now. I tried to explain how busy you are with the band, but I know my dad and he's a little upset right now. I'm sure he'll get over it." Bella paused, realizing what she was doing. Jacob was right – she was defending Edward. Is that what she really wanted to do? Defend someone who had caused her so much pain over the past few weeks?

Or was she really just defending herself? It was her pride that had taken a beating. Her pain and sadness that was out in the open for all to see. Was she protecting her own interests by defending the behavior of someone who had caused her so much pain?

"I'm kind of upset too. I just don't understand why you've been acting the way that you have. I thought we were happy, but maybe that was just my own delusions. I thought we were done being secretive and evasive. Oh, God, this sucks so much." Bella drew circles in the mud with a stick she hadn't even realized she'd picked up. Thoughts sped through her brain at a rapid pace, but they made little sense. The circles she drew were almost perfectly round, but her thoughts would probably more closely resemble a crystal.

"Edward, I need to go. Charlie and Jacob are waiting for me inside. I only just got home. I'll email you later. I guess my cell phone isn't going to work here. Edward?" She tried one more time, waiting for a reaction. Nothing but silence. "Bye." She clicked her phone shut and placed it back into her pocket.

Bella pulled her knees up and rested her head on them, folding her limbs in as closely as she could. She should go back in the house, but she wasn't ready to face her dad yet. He'd looked shocked when she told him that Edward wasn't coming. She wasn't ready to deal with his emotions on top of her own.

Coming home to Forks was surreal. They'd crossed the town limits and passed the sign welcoming them into town, and it was like looking through one of those ViewMasters she played with as a kid.

*click* There's the gas station where she filled her car up on the way to classes. *click* There's the diner her dad frequented during the lunch rush. *click* There's her high school, where she spent four long, tortured years, not to mention her student teaching assignment. *click* There's the parking lot where she lost her virginity. *click* There's the Calawah River where Jacob tried to teach her how to bait a hook. She could have gone on and on.

Bella knew this town well; she knew every road, dirt and concrete, she knew the banks of the rivers that surrounded it, she knew the owners of all the establishments, the teachers at the schools, the smell of the logs as they passed through town on the giant flat beds.

Yet, coming home again, she felt like a stranger. Like she didn't belong here anymore. Her heart clenched at the thought. Of course she belonged here. She was born here and had lived the first of her 23 years in Forks. Four months away didn't make her an outsider.

But, that's how she felt. This was no longer her home. She could always come back and visit, but her home was elsewhere now. In Bear Lake. With her friends, her co-workers, the weird people she'd met, and most importantly, Edward. Because no matter how he'd behaved over the past few weeks, no matter what decisions he'd come to, Bella knew that they belonged together. Home was wherever Edward was.

It was a fairly monumental decision for someone who hadn't discussed long-term plans with her boyfriend. A boyfriend who was embarking on something that would pull him away from her. A boyfriend who had asked for "space." Yet, Bella knew that she would always feel that way. Home was not here in Forks anymore.

The squeak of the front door brought her head up and she realized how wet her clothes had gotten from sitting on the ground for so long. "Bells?" Her dad called, clearly apprehensive. She wondered how long he'd been standing there. He wasn't one to butt into the middle of an emotional breakdown, so he'd probably been standing there for a while, waiting for the crisis to end.

Bella stood and made her way back inside. Jacob was seated at the table, fork frozen in mid-air as he chowed down on the dinner that Charlie had probably ordered from the diner. Bella smiled at the sight of him at the table. *click* Jacob eating dinner at their kitchen table, sauce all over his face.

"Where's my bag? I need to change."

"I put it upstairs on your bed." Jacob's eyes flashed hot for a moment, and Bella took a step back. She'd seen that look one too many times already. She didn't know what had come over him, but she was going to put an end to it. But, not tonight. Tonight, she was going to change her clothes, choke down some lasagna, and watch some TV with her dad.

Bella nodded her thanks and ran up the stairs to her room. She laughed when she realized that Charlie had been busy in her absence. All her old furniture was in Bear Lake, and Charlie had replaced it with the basics. A full-size bed took up most of the space in the small room, but he'd managed to squeeze in a chair and desk as well. He'd repainted the room a basic white, so it now matched the entire rest of the house. Gone were her posters, bulletin board, and purple walls. It was so very Charlie now.

After throwing on some dry clothes, she quickly powered up her laptop, glad for the wireless connection she'd browbeaten Charlie into installing before her departure in August. He'd grumbled for days about the intrusion of electronics into his home, but she softened him up with promises of emails that they could exchange. In reality, he'd probably given in only after she told him that he could look up scores and highlights online.

With her cell phone being out of operation, she emailed Alice to let her know that she'd arrived safely, and gave her the house line in case she needed to call her.

She started her email to Edward three times before she found the right tone. She already felt like she'd said everything she needed to say to him. She missed him, but wasn't going to reiterate that fact. There was nothing else to say about Jacob or Charlie either. Even if he hadn't heard a word of the conversation she'd had on the front lawn, she wasn't going to repeat it now. She finally settled for leaving him the number to the house phone and letting him know that she was open to talking to him, if he wanted.

The rest of the evening was spent with Charlie and Jacob watching a movie. Bella was just glad it wasn't a basketball game. She only halfway paid attention to it - it was some Adam Sandler comedy that the men found hilarious. Thankfully, Jacob kept to his end of the sofa the entire time, no doubt in deference to Charlie's presence in his easy chair. Bella was not in the mood to fend off any more advances.

With the time difference, she was exhausted long before the end of the movie, but she kept putting off going to bed. She tried to tell herself that she was reluctant to leave Charlie, but she knew the real reason. She was hoping for a phone call. A phone call that never came.

She gave up once the movie was over. She couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. Bella thanked Jacob for the ride home, kissed Charlie on the cheek goodnight, and climbed the ten steps to the second floor bedroom that she'd grown up in. She fell asleep instantly and thankfully, didn't have any dreams.

***

The phone rang at 7:00 the next morning. It rang, and rang, and rang. The clanging finally made its way into Bella's consciousness and she sat up in the bed, confused about where she was. The bright white walls, the rain pattering against the windows, the pearl-gray sky that was just beginning to lighten: Bella realized with a start that she was in Forks. Instant replay of the day before ran through her head. She sighed and rubbed her eyes. Sometimes, the escape of a dreamless sleep was really the best thing.

The phone started ringing again, and Bella groaned and made her way downstairs. She remembered that Charlie had said that he had to go into the station early, but he'd be home for lunch. She'd forgotten what early actually meant to the chief of police.

She pulled the ancient, yellow phone off the hook and mumbled a greeting, hoping it wasn't a neighbor welcoming her home or some such nonsense.

"Bella?" A familiar voice greeted her, and her heart stopped.

"Edward?" Bella went from half asleep to wide awake faster than her freshmen left their seats at last bell.

"Hey," he said, and she could hear some rustling in the background as if he were getting comfortable. "I, uh, got your email this morning, or I would have called back last night. I couldn't hear a word of what you said over your cell phone. You're right – the reception was lousy."

Bella's hopes fell, just a little. She'd said some important things the night before, and he hadn't heard a word of it. She was not in the mood to repeat most of it over the phone again.

"So, you got in all right? The flight was on time and everything?"

"Yes, we were a little delayed, but only twenty minutes or so." Bella drew circles with her finger on the refrigerator door while they spoke. She could have had this exact same conversation with anyone, even a stranger at the grocery store. She hated the banality of it.

"That's good, well, that it wasn't delayed for too long. I wouldn't have wanted your dad to have waited long at the airport for you."

And there was her opening to remove the banality. Should she tell him about Jacob now? Or leave him to his own assumptions?

Bella cleared her throat and dove right in, just like the first time Jacob had taken her cliff-diving. Sometimes, it was best to act first and think about it later.

"Charlie didn't pick me up at the airport. He sent Jacob instead." She paused, giving him a moment to absorb the enormity of her words. "And it was ok, seeing Jacob again. We talked, some, and he showed me around his garage in Port Angeles, then he brought me on to Forks." She purposely glossed over the subsequent visit to Jacob's apartment. Bella wasn't ready to recount that experience in her own mind yet, let alone share it with her supposed boyfriend.

"Oh…well, that was nice of him to pick you up. And…your dad? How is he?"

She heard his unasked question: how much does he hate my guts now?

"Charlie's…ok. He's at work right now, but we have plans for this afternoon." She wasn't going to let Edward off so easily. Let him stew for a while about her father's reaction to Bella showing up alone in Forks.

"That sounds nice."

Banality, thy name is Edward.

"Yeah, well, I should probably get dressed now. I want to get some things done this morning."

"Oh, of course. Shit…it's only 7 there, isn't it?"

She heard a thunking sound through the receiver, and she imagined it was the sound of his head hitting the wall. It was probably just wishful thinking on her part. It brought a small smile to her face regardless.

"Yes," she finally replied, once the thunking had stopped. "But, I'm still on Central time. My body's all out of whack…I really should have woken up much earlier, but I guess I'm still tired from the flight." And the emotional turmoil from being in relationship limbo and having her ex-best friend kiss the hell out of her the day before.

"I'll remember the time difference the next time I call."

Bella sucked in a breath. "Are you going to call again?"

"Yes," he said, without any hesitation. It was the first thing he'd said to her in a week that held any conviction. "I miss you too," he whispered, right before he hung up the phone, robbing her of the chance to repeat those same sentiments or say goodbye.

Bella hung up the receiver and jumped up onto the kitchen counter, just like she had a million times before. Her legs were long enough now to bang against the aging cupboards below, which bore the scuff marks of dozens of sneakers. Her bare feet hit against the wood now, and the doors made a soft thud as they closed the small space between the hinge and the frame that only came with old age.

This was so completely the opposite of how she'd imagined her trip home with Edward. Right now, they would have been sneaking in some nooky time while her father was at work, probably upstairs on her double bed since it was bigger. He'd complain about the rain and she'd explain about Pacific Ocean weather patterns.

Instead, she was trying to reconcile two weeks of free time in a place that she no longer considered home, without a best friend, without a boyfriend, and pretending to be in the holiday spirit. It was nauseating.

She felt like she had to put on a happy face for Charlie. He'd been completely blindsided last night when she'd fallen into his arms and burst into tears. She'd spotted his rifle collection spread out, no doubt in preparation for Edward's inspection. He'd worn his best uniform. She could even tell that he'd had it cleaned recently because it was missing that smell of old coffee and dust that clung to the police station.

This morning, the rifles were back in the locked case on the wall. She'd spied the good uniform hanging in the laundry room on her way to answer the phone. Things were back to normal in the Swan house, now that there was no boyfriend to impress.

Bella jumped down off the counter and headed upstairs to get ready for the day. She wasn't going to spend the next fourteen days wallowing in pity. She had some things that she planned to do. And she particularly wasn't going to waste her time sitting around, waiting for anyone to call.

***

Jacob showed up just as Bella and Charlie were headed out the door to chop down the annual Swan Christmas tree. Bella shot a look at her dad, because his timing was perfect. How else would Jacob have known the exact right time to show up?

"Can I come along?" Jacob asked, once he saw Charlie place the axe in the bed of the truck. Jacob knew what they did every year the Sunday before Christmas. He'd been a part of the tradition forever. Charlie looked for Bella's permission. She rolled her eyes and nodded her head. Charlie was so less than subtle. She could only imagine that Jacob was to serve as a distraction from the overhanging threat of Edward Cullen. As if Jacob's presence would prevent any father-daughter heart to hearts and keep the tears at bay. Charlie needn't have bothered; she wasn't planning on bringing up his name at any point, voluntarily, over the next two weeks.

They bumped along in Charlie's truck, the three of them smushed together in the cab. Bella bore the hump as best she could, but this road always did a number on her backside. They went to the same spot every year to cut down their tree. Charlie had a friend with some decent acreage on the south side of the park who gave them free access.

It was actually a fairly comical process. They would spend an hour arguing over the size of the tree. Bella always wanted something taller, but Charlie would argue about the practicality of fitting a 10' tree into their small house. Jacob would want patiently, holding the axe, ready and willing to show off his physical prowess at any moment.

It wasn't lost on Bella that this year he wore a tank top and no coat. In December. In 38-degree weather. In the misty rain. Bella was apparently going to pay in spades for her moment of weakness the day before.

She and Charlie finally agreed on a fine-looking tree that was not too tall and not too short with full coverage of branches and no bird's nests. They were supposed to be lucky, but Bella hated finding the woven circles of sticks and bird spit. With a toothy grin, Jacob went to work chopping down the tree.

Bella could admit that his body had changed some since the last time she'd seen him. He'd always taken care of his physical form, but it seemed harder and tighter now. As in years past, she stood back and out of his line of sight so that she could admire the play of his muscles and pull of tendons as he pulled the axe handle back and let it tear into the trunk of the poor, unsuspecting tree.

What was particularly interesting was that Bella didn't feel that rush of desire that used to accompany this particular, private tradition of hers. She watched him, noted his beauty, admired his muscles, but that was it. There wasn't any longing that accompanied her thoughts. No soft sighs or chants in her head of "why doesn't he ever notice me?"

Bella looked away from Jacob and caught her dad staring at her. She smiled in return, but she knew that he'd caught her. She just didn't care. She had nothing to hide anymore. Like she'd told Edward, Jacob was not a part of her life anymore. Maybe they could find some compromise while she was in town so that they could be friends again, but he wouldn't ever be the most important part of anything for her again.

They teased Jacob on the trek back to the truck. He insisted on carrying the tree on his shoulder. Bella snorted at his continual display of physical ability. Apparently, he thought to win her over with his overt physical presence. She was going to have to put an end to this…whatever it was…soon.

Somehow, they had exchanged places. Jacob was now the one who looked at her as if he wanted to devour her, and she barely noticed him. At least in that respect. It was difficult to be oblivious to his presence when he used every opportunity to touch her body, or hold her gaze a beat too long, or whisper into her ear.

They spent the rest of the day decorating the tree and putting up their ancient decorations. She remembered the year that she turned five quite clearly. She and Charlie had gone up to Port Angeles to the department store and bought boxes and boxes of decorations, candles, and cookie cutters. The cookie cutters had sat unused until Bella was old enough to teach herself to use the oven, but the rest of their purchases had been in continual annual use since that year.

They sang Christmas carols off-key, drank some virgin eggnog, laughed and just generally had a good time. Just like any other Christmas that Bella had spent with her dad and Jacob.

Jacob went home early, needing to get up early to open the garage the next day. Truthfully, Bella was sad to see him go. It was nice to have a friendly face around, no matter that the friendly face was trying to subtly put the moves on her under the watchful eye of her dad. Being with Jacob was easy, just like it always had been.

The sound of the rain kept her awake for a while that night. She'd forgotten about the endlessness of it. Eventually, she fell into another dreamless sleep.

The phone rang at 8:30 the next morning. Bella sat up with a grin and raced downstairs to the kitchen. Edward, apparently, had decided to let her sleep in this morning.

"Hello?" She answered breathlessly as her socks slid across the kitchen floor.

Edward's deep chuckle greeted her and it was a bittersweet sound. "Good morning. Were you out for a run?"

Bella laughed. "Yeah, nothing beats an early morning run in the rain and cold. No, I was still in bed and had to run downstairs to answer the phone."

"Still in bed? You Forksians must be a lazy crew." He paused a moment and his voice sounded impossibly deeper. "What are you wearing?"

Bella sucked in a breath. If the Edward of a week ago had asked her this question, she would have made up something sexy to tell him. But, this Edward didn't really deserve to know that she had on one of his Oberlin t-shirts and a pair of pajama pants.

"Edward," she decided to say instead, letting her disapproval of the question seep through with the tone of her voice.

Edward sighed and she heard the same thumping around from the day before. "I'm sorry. That was out of line. What are you doing today?"

Bella climbed up onto her spot on the counter and relayed her plans for the rest of the day. She hesitated before she told him the final plans for the day. But, she was done hiding things from him.

"Jacob's going to take me down to La Push after dinner." Bella was actually looking forward to this visit. Billy was just as much a family member as Jacob had ever been.

"Oh, well, that will be nice for you to see some more of your friends. So, how are things between you and Jacob?" Bella wasn't sure, but it seemed as if she detected a small amount of jealousy in his voice.

"Things are fine. We're both still keeping our distance." Bella was ready to have her talk with Jacob about the boundaries of their relationship too. But she could discuss that with Edward after she went home.

"Ok. Well, Emmett and Rosalie wanted me to tell you that they say hello. And that they miss you. Mom and Dad say hello too." Bella nodded her head, wondering how Edward was filling his days. Without school, he was probably busy with the band.

"I'm going to hang up now, Edward," she told him, jumping off the counter in one fluid motion. She smiled when she realized she hadn't caught her foot on the handle like she usually did. Maybe she'd finally outgrown her klutziness.

"Ok. I'll call you tomorrow?"

"Sounds good." And Bella actually meant that. Stupid as she felt, she still craved Edward like nothing else. If all she could have was the sound of his voice, then that was what she would take. For now.

***

As promised, Jacob appeared that evening to take Bella down to La Push. She slid into the dark interior of his car and flashed him a smile.

"You're on time!"

Jacob laughed. "It's something new I'm trying. Not sure if I like it yet or not."

He waited while she buckled in before screeching out of the driveway and down the road at top speed.

"You're lucky Charlie's at the station or he'd be busting your butt for speeding," Bella told him as she clung to the seat.

"Charlie and I have an understanding. He won't bust me for speeding so long as I don't take out any small animals, children, or grandmas."

"That's generous of him, considering he once threatened to haul me in because I singed his shirt while ironing it."

"There's no explaining Charlie," Jacob said as he turned onto La Push Road.

Bella nodded her head and stared out the window. She knew this road almost as well as the one she lived on. How many times had she and Charlie driven it when she was little? How many times had she taken it herself once she had her license? She knew every bend and turn. She knew exactly where the twisted tree on the right side of the road would be. She knew the turnoff for Charlie's favorite fishing spot. Driving down this road with Jacob was completely familiar to her, but she knew that she would be adding a new memory to it that night. She was going to talk to Jacob. It was finally time to clear the air and make everything right between them. She wondered how different the car ride home was going to be.

They neared the reservation and the butterflies in Bella's stomach started to activate. She wasn't just nervous about her upcoming chat with Jacob. She was actually very much looking forward to seeing his family, but was curious about their reception of her. Jacob must have told them that she'd stopped speaking to him. Would she still be welcomed as warmly as she had been in the past?

She got her answer as soon as Jacob pulled up in front of his dad's house. Billy sat out front in one of the ancient lawn chairs that had cluttered the Blacks' yard for as long as Bella could remember. He wasn't alone. Sue and Harry Clearwater were there as well. Sam and Emily Uley, Embry and his mom, Quil and a young girl that Bella didn't know rounded out the ragtag crew that Bella knew and loved so well.

Billy stood and walked over to the car as soon as it had stopped, opening Bella's door and pulling her out the second she was unbuckled.

"You look good, little Swan," Billy whispered in her ear. Bella smiled at the nickname and hugged him back. She'd known this man her entire life. He was just as much a part of her family as her own father.

"It's good to see you, Billy." And it was. Bella hadn't realized all the lives she had really left behind when she moved away. These were people she'd grown up with, but she felt almost like they were strangers now. Just another reminder of how things had changed so quickly.

Bella circled round the group, giving everyone a hug and a hello. The fire pit was already ablaze, which was a welcome addition to the cool night air. She finally settled into her usual chair, right next to Jacob.

Jacob, this new Jacob, had his chair as close to hers as possible. He flashed his bright teeth at her when she sat and winked. Bella returned the smile but groaned inside her head. Down boy.

It was extremely odd being in this position for the first time in her life. She would have killed for this type of attention from him before. But now that she had it, she didn't want it.

The evening passed lazily, with Bella filling everyone in on her new life in Bear Lake. She talked about her classes, and the friends she'd made. She lamented about the lack of rain forests in the plains, and the measly amount of rainfall that they received. She tried to assure them that the snowfall had been making up for that lack, but she didn't think that they believed her.

"How are the boys?" Quil's friend Claire asked her. She looked quite young, maybe not even out of high school. Bella wondered briefly if she was even old enough to date Quil, who was 21 just like Jacob. But, then she realized that it was really none of her business. As long as the girl's family didn't mind, then what should it matter to Bella?

"The boys at school?" Bella finally asked, a little confused. Why would Claire care about the boys who went to a school half-way across the country?

"No. I meant the boys your age." Bella tried not to cringe at that. She could only be five or six years older.

"Well," Bella paused, looking around at the curious faces staring back at her in rapt attention, "I am seeing someone."

Jacob took that opportunity to walk over to the cooler that was shoved up against the side of the house. Bella watched him with a frown. She didn't think he was going to react well to what she had to say to him later on.

"Bella?" With a start, Bella realized that Emily had been calling her name.

"Sorry, did you ask me something?"

"I just wanted to know what his name is - your boyfriend."

"Edward," Bella replied. She was sure that would be the easiest question in the current line of questioning.

She went on to describe how they'd met and how long they'd been seeing each other. She talked about his family, and no, it wasn't weird working for his brother. Embry wanted to know what kind of car Edward drove, and snickered when Bella answered truthfully. Bella frowned at him in exasperation, but she wasn't surprised. Jacob and his buddies had always been car snobs.

A few more minutes passed before Bella realized that the chair next to her was still empty. Damn. It looked like their talk was coming sooner rather than later.

She stood in the pretense of getting herself a soda, but Billy intercepted her halfway to the cooler.

"I saw him walking towards the cliffs." Jacob looked very much like his father, which made it difficult to look Billy in the eye at that moment. She was about to hurt someone who was a part of her family. She couldn't stand to do it twice in one night.

"Thanks," she whispered.

"Go easy on him. He's had a rough couple of months." In an instant, Bella knew that Jacob had told his father at least part of what had gone on between them for the past few months. She was thankful that she wouldn't have to. Whatever else Billy might know, she was grateful that he wouldn't interfere or lecture; it just wasn't his way. She and Jacob were perfectly capable of handling this on their own.

Bella followed the meandering path towards the cliffs across the sandy ground of the forest. It was almost completely dark; the only light that shone came from the fire pit behind her. The trees here were tall and the forest was endlessly green, even in the early months of winter. Bella pulled her sweater tighter around her shoulders as she moved farther and farther away from the comforting heat source. The sound of the surf soon met her ears and she began searching the approaching cliff's edge for Jacob's familiar form.

"Over here," he called out, and Bella jumped as she turned to face him. He'd allowed her to walk about 10 feet past his position hidden against the trees.

"Hey," she said, as she walked close enough until she could see his face.

"My dad missed you," Jacob said, his brown eyes suddenly lifting off the ground to bore into hers. "I missed you too."

"Jacob, I need to explain some things."

"Bells, let me go first, please? I've been working on what I wanted to say to you for months. I just need to get it out first, ok?"

Bella let out the breath she'd been holding. "All right." She'd tried to convince herself that she wasn't just postponing the inevitable.

"Ok. Good. First, about the Lauren Mallory thing…"

Bella groaned and walked away, turning her back on him. That was one thing she didn't want to talk about.

"I swear I didn't know it was her. We were at a bar, she came over and hit on me, I was drunk and she was kind of cute, well as cute as any girl looks in a half-lit bar. Anyway, she used me Bella. She knew who I was and she used me to get you angry. She was the one who wanted to call you and I was too drunk off my ass to realize what was happening until it was too late. And, I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry. But, I need you to know that I changed because of that night. Well, not immediately because I'm a little slow and dumb sometimes…"

"You're not dumb, Jacob."

"Let me finish. Bella, I'm 42 days sober. I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but it is to me. Your dad has been a huge help. I didn't realize how badly my drinking habits had affected my life until I gave it up. It's like I got to start over, and I kind of like it. So, no more drunken bar scene for me. I've also, uh, given up, for the most part, all the girls."

Bella laughed, but wanted to take it back immediately. She was proud of his sobriety, but she had to bust his chops about the girls. "For the most part?"

"Yeah, well, I'm not a monk." Jacob cleared his throat and soldiered on. "I would like to talk about us now."

"Jacob," Bella whined. She couldn't stop the nasally tone from escaping. Being around Jacob seemed to bring out her inner child.

"No, just listen. You're my best friend. I didn't realize until you were gone how much I would miss you. And then when you decided that you didn't even want to talk to me anymore, it really hurt. But, I promised myself that I would show you that I can be a better man. And here I am, Bella. I am a better man. I have a good job that I'm proud of. I'm not constantly fucking up my life. My apartment is a little shitty, but I can move to someplace better. All I'm asking for is a chance. A chance for us."

Jacob suddenly pushed off the tree and stalked towards Bella, like a hunter and its prey.

Bella was frozen in place, just like she had been in his apartment two days ago. This Jacob was completely mesmerizing. It was as if he'd stepped out of her every teenage daydream and come to life. It was difficult to remember all the reasons why she didn't want this to happen when it seemed as if her every wish was about to be fulfilled.

His hands grasped her shoulders, but he didn't pull her close as she'd expected. Instead, he stared intently into her eyes.

"You're a part of me, Bella. I feel it inside of me. Like we belong together. Me without you is like peanut butter without jelly. Please, just give us a chance. I know this Edward guy has hurt you, and I'd like nothing better than to pummel his face in…"

Bella heard Jacob's rumblings about Edward in the back of her mind, but the mention of Edward's name had thankfully snapped her out of her frozen state. Bella loved Edward. She had faith that they would work something out.

Bella realized that Jacob's lips were pressed to hers – again. She pushed hard against his chest, and thankfully he moved away.

"Jacob – please stop kissing me!" She turned around and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She didn't want Jacob to see what she was doing, but all she could taste was him at the moment. It was confusing.

"It's too late for us," she told him, her back still turned. "I'm in love, Jacob. Really in love, this time. Edward's great – discounting his recent behavior. We're going to work things out when I go back home."

"Home?" Jacob asked. "Forks is your home, Bella."

"Not anymore, Jake. Home is in Bear Lake. I love it there. I'd never known what it felt like to be myself until I moved there. I can't even begin to describe what the freedom's like."

"You can't have that here?"

"Not really. Here, I'm little Bella Swan. Charlie's kid. Jacob's friend. In Bear Lake, I'm just me. No predetermined labels to slap on me. If I want to try the cherry pie instead of the apple pie at the diner, no one gives me a funny look and insist that I eat the apple because that's what I've always eaten. If I go to the bookstore and buy a romance, no one threatens to inform my father about the filth I'm letting rot my brain. I can show up at Bingo night if I want to – and never go back if that suits my fancy."

"CiCi was only teasing when she said you had to drive her every week. She never meant to force you into her weekly bingo night."

"That's not my point. My point is that there can't be anything more between us than friendship. God, Jake, do you know what I would have given for you to have looked at me the way you are now just six months ago? Or to feel your lips on mine? We'd probably still be on that bed in your apartment too, if it hadn't been for…"

"Edward," Jacob said, spitting his name out like a curse.

"No, not Edward. If it hadn't been for me discovering me for the first time. Jacob, I spent a good portion of my life thinking that I was in love with you. I can't believe it's so easy to say that to you now, when all these years have passed and I could never say it out loud to you before. The difference is that now the outcome can't hurt me. I invested so much of my life into you that the tiniest threat of pain would have shattered my entire universe. Not anymore. I've always loved you Jacob, but it was an easy kind of love. You and me – we would have been so easy."

"Bells, you make that sound like a bad thing. More importantly, I can't believe you're telling all of this to me now. Why couldn't you have told me years ago?"

"I couldn't tell you because you wouldn't have listened." Bella paced up and down the pathway now, her sneakers sinking lightly into the sand during each passage. "You were so wrapped up in your girls and your cars that you wouldn't have paid me any attention. I was just always there, like a light switch. Useful, but easy to ignore. And us being easy would be the worst thing in the world. The really important things in life don't come easily. They require work and commitment, because after you've put all the time and effort into it, you can enjoy and savor it that much more. I'm not doing easy anymore. I need challenge and hard work. I need Edward. Jacob, I love you, but not like I love Edward. That's why even though he may be acting like a complete idiot right now, I know that he's worth whatever tears and strife come my way. Edward is my challenge and I love him all the more for it."

Jacob was silent, so Bella took the opportunity to follow the rest of the path towards the edge of the cliff. The surf was a good thirty feet below, but it was loud and fierce even from that distance. Bella felt her thoughts and emotions churning just as wildly as the water and wind below.

She didn't hear Jacob's approach, but thankfully he didn't scare her when he spoke. She might have accidentally fallen over the edge.

"What if I'd figured things out on my own, like two years ago? Would we be together now?"

Bella wasn't sure that she wanted to follow the path of this "what if." She'd thought the same thing a million times, and had come to the same conclusion each time: Yes. But, that was before she really began to understand herself. Would she really have been completely content with Jacob? Or would have that missing part of her essence began clawing at her insides, letting her know that she was, in fact, not perfectly happy?

"I don't know," she finally answered, as honestly as she could. "But, it doesn't matter any more. I won't be with you now. Or ever. Even if Edward and I break up, I don't think that you and I make sense – not in the long run." Bella hated to even suggest breaking up with Edward, but it was a possibility regardless.

"Bella, I disagree. We make sense. We always have. Since we were little kids, and all through school. I know that we both want to have a family one day, and think about how great it would be to live somewhere close to your dad…"

Jacob wasn't fighting fair. Charlie was the lone sore spot in her move across the country. She hated like hell being so far away from him. "Would you be willing to move to Chicago?" Bella hated playing devil's advocate with him; it felt too much like giving him false hope. But, she needed him to understand.

"I, uh, you know I can't really do that. I'm supposed to take my dad's spot on the council when he retires."

"Uh-huh. So, you wouldn't move to Chicago with me, even if it was the only way that I could be with you?"

"Bella, you know there's just too much in my life that's here. I've got the garage, and, uh, you know how much I like the ocean. I don't think I would enjoy being landlocked."

"Chicago has a lake," Bella reminded him.

"Yeah, but, it would just make more sense for you to move back home."

"Why? Because that would be easier for you? Because it wouldn't disrupt your life any? What about my life? What about what I want?" Jacob was silent again. Bella assumed that he didn't have an answer for her questions, so she moved on. "How many kids would we have?"

"Bells," Jacob's voice deepened when he spoke her name, and he insisted on grabbing her hands again. "I would rock your world every night. We'd probably have an even dozen."

Bella wanted to run as fast as she could at that revelation. Twelve kids? Had he lost his mind? Bella had been thinking maybe two…

"Who's going to take care of all our kids, then? We'll both be working, so that sounds like a lot of dollars spent on daycare." Bella was fighting just as dirty now. She already knew his stance on this topic, but she needed him to understand.

"Wait, wait, wait. Who says that we'll both be working? You'll stay home with the kids. Come on, Bella – you're just a teacher."

"Thank you. And that's exactly why we don't make sense together. My job, even though I'm 'just a teacher,' is important to me. It brings me a lot of satisfaction. I have goals and aspirations just like any doctor, accountant or graphic designer. You belittling my career choice doesn't make sense. Us having twelve kids doesn't make sense. And me moving back to Forks doesn't make sense. You know why?" Bella punched her finger into his chest, emphasizing the point she was trying to make. Maybe it would help him understand more than the words ever could. "Because that's not what I want. We want different things, Jake. And that's ok. But, we both deserve the chance to turn our own sets of hopes and dreams into realities."

"Bella, I don't know what to say. I just…I miss you. And when you came home, you were so different. I never want to do anything that would hurt you. But, it seems like I have. Where do we go from here?"

Bella sat on a fallen log that was clear of the thick green moss that coated most of the forest. "I've missed you too, Jake, but we can't go back to the way it was before. It was painful for me." Bella paused, pondering the solution that had been sitting in the back of her brain all day. She didn't know feasible it was, but she was willing to give it a try. "Why don't we just try to be friends again, like when we were little kids?"

Jacob walked over and joined her on the log. She was glad to see that he didn't squeeze up against her as if they were seated in the coach section of an airplane. Space was a good thing.

"You want me to pull your hair and throw mud at you?" Jacob laughed, and it was a good sound. Bella hadn't heard it in a while, but it was an excellent reminder of where they needed to be headed.

"Only if I can smash your Play-Doh with my Barbie Corvette and tattle on you to Billy when you do something wrong."

"I'll take that as a no then. Ok, so, we're friends?" He bumped his shoulder against hers lightly. His smile was tight and a little unnatural, but she'd take it. It was better than passion, anger or sadness.

"Friends," Bella agreed. It would be nice to have him back. She'd lost her childhood friend in all the angst of her adolescence, and she was anxious to see how they could make things work now as adults.

Bella stood to walk back to the fire pit. It was getting late and the temperature had dropped to uncomfortable levels during their talk.

"Are you coming?" Bella asked after he didn't move from his spot on the log.

"Nah…I'm going to sit here for a while. Would you mind asking my dad to run you home, though? I need some time to think."

"Sure. Thanks, Jacob. I feel better now…I hope you do too." Bella walked away without waiting for a reply. She could only hope that their talk had made things normal between them again. At this point, she could use all the friends that she could get.

Everyone had cleared out by the time Bella returned. Billy sat in the same spot she'd found him in hours ago upon their arrival. He nodded at her as she approached him, not seeming surprised that she was alone.

"Would you mind giving me a lift home? Jacob's…"

"Come on, kid." Billy stood without any necessary further explanation.

Fortunately, he didn't ask her any awkward questions during the ride home. Bella blissfully cranked the heat in his truck to ward off the chill that clung to her back and shoulders. Billy, like her dad, wasn't the greatest about talking about feelings. It's probably why he and Charlie got along so well. Bella had gone fishing with them, once, and they'd not said a word to the other the entire time. They were like an old married couple who knew what the other needed and found words to be superfluous.

Billy pulled up in front of the house, but stopped her right before she could jump out of the truck. "Jacob's really missed you."

Bella sighed and stared straight ahead. There were some conversations that were unavoidable. She couldn't not clear the air with Jacob's dad.

"I missed him too. I think that things will be better from now on."

Billy grunted and Bella took that as a dismissal. She ran up the steps to the front door, escaping all but a few drops of rain that had started to descend out of the night sky.

Charlie yanked open the door before she could dig her key out. "Billy called earlier. Let me know that you were on your way."

Bella nodded at his abbreviated explanation for stalking the front door for her imminent arrival.

"I made us some hot chocolate. Come into the kitchen with me for a minute."

Bella smiled as she shrugged out of her sweater and rubbed her hands together in anticipation. "You learned how to use the stove?"

"No, but I can push buttons on a microwave as well as any monkey. Take a seat. I got the kind with marshmallows. I know how much you like those."

"Aw…Dad…you remembered. Thanks!" Bella took an exploratory sip of the steaming liquid, curious if it was possible to ruin a pouch of hot cocoa mix. Because if there was, Charlie Swan would find a way to do it.

Her sip of hot chocolate threatened to spew across the table when Charlie spoke next.

"We need to talk about this Edward Cullen character. Are you having relations with him?"

Bella choked on her hot chocolate. She's tried to swallow the liquid instead of sending it forth into the air in a rapid spray, but it was hot and was now burning her throat.

Charlie awkwardly patted her back for a few minutes, which didn't help much, but it was sweet that he was trying.

"We never talked about boys, Bells, and it occurred to me that if you're serious enough about this one to want to bring him home to meet your old man, then you might be serious enough to want to try other things with him as well." Charlie shifted in his seat and Bella finally regained her ability to speak.

"Dad! This is not necessary…"

"Now Isabella, let me speak my piece. Some boys, men, know how to treat a woman with respect. And others don't. I want to make sure that this man you're seeing is the right kind, because I'm not impressed with him so far. You need to be careful. So, if you are having uh, relations with him, you should make sure that you're being smart and safe."

Bella dropped her head to the table and closed her eyes. Her face was practically ablaze and she was positive that Charlie's was too. She couldn't believe this was happening.

"Dad," she mumbled from the table top, "please stop. Edward is a good man. I'm sorry he wasn't able to come this time, but maybe you'll get to meet him some other time." Bella wasn't so sure about that anymore, but she was going to cling to that hope for the time being.

"I just don't like how he's treated you. You were very upset when you came home on Saturday and that's no way to treat my girl."

Bella imagined Charlie taking Edward on a tour of the station and gleefully locking him into a cell. It was becoming harder for her to defend Edward's actions when she barely understood them herself. But, she knew that he was a good person. He had so much to offer. He'd only gotten a little lost along the way.

"Dad, we're going to work things out. You don't need to worry."

"So, you're a psychic now? You know all this for a fact? I don't want you to settle for something just because you're afraid to be alone."

"I'm not afraid of being alone." Bella had spent most of her life alone. How could he even think that?

"You deserve the best, Bells. I want you to have the best."

"Dad…" Bella stood and gave him a hug, kissing the top of his hair. "Edward's the best for me."

"You're not going to back down here, are you?"

"No. It's going to work out. One way or another. Please, don't worry about me. Let's just enjoy the rest of our time together. I'm going to bake cookies tomorrow. Any special requests?"

Charlie patted her arm as she backed away and into her own seat again. "Just peanut butter."

"You're so easy to please."

"I try."

Bella wished that all her relationships were as easy as the one she had with her dad. There wasn't any guessing or game-playing. It was the only kind of easiness that came from family though. But, Bella felt the same way about Alice. It was a nice feeling that she had someone that she could think of as a sister, especially after an entire lifetime of being surrounded by men.


	26. Chapter 26

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight. It all belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

The shrill ring of the phone was not a surprise the next morning. Bella had gotten up early to pick up ingredients from the grocery store, but made sure she was home again before the expected call. The voice on the other end, however, was not the one she expected.

"Alice! I was just thinking about you." Bella had decided to make pizzelles and they reminded her of Alice for some reason.

"Were you thinking about how much you miss me and want to come home immediately?"

Bella laughed. "Close. I'm baking cookies."

"Well, there are worse things. I was just calling to check up on you. And, to tell you that Jasper is at Home Depot right now picking up the supplies so we can paint the bathroom…"

"You don't waste time!" Bella was flipping through her cookbook again, making sure that she hadn't forgotten any ingredients.

"Penises everywhere! We decided on a Greek god theme. My mother is going to shit a brick when she sees it, but it will be so worth the bitching I'll have to listen to."

Bella snickered into the phone. Alice was forever fighting with her mom. Mrs. Brandon was constantly pointing out things in their house that needed upgrading and questioning their financial solvency. It drove Alice crazy.

"I saw Edward last night."

Bella nearly swallowed the pen cap she'd been biting down on.

"Yeah?"

"I stopped by his house. He doesn't look good."

Bella grumbled for a few minutes and rubbed her forehead with the dull end of her pen.

"I don't think things are going very well with the band."

"What do you mean?" Bella was concerned. If he'd been willing to suspend their relationship for the betterment of his band, then any problems they might be having would have to be serious.

"We talked some. I don't think Edward's really happy with the way things are going. There have been some disagreements. Why don't you give him a call?"

Bella had been planning on just waiting for him to call like he had the past two days, but maybe Alice was right. Maybe there was something she could do to help. Not that he really deserved it. It was almost like rewarding the dog for chewing up your favorite slippers.

"Maybe I will later on."

"He misses you, Bella."

Bella was suddenly angry. "What – are you on his side now?"

"There aren't any sides. I just want the two of you to be happy. You were happy together, but apart you're both pretty miserable."

"Alice, he hurt me."

"Oh, honey, I know he did. I can't say much else, but you should call him."

Bella was tired of feeling this way. She was hurt and a little angry at Edward's behavior, but she was also trying to be understanding. It was confusing balancing all those emotions. She didn't know how much longer she could do it.

"I'll call him." She agreed mostly because she figured that she was going to talk to him at some point that day anyway. What did it matter who called whom?

She hung up with Alice and tried to organize her thoughts. What could she say to Edward that hadn't been said already? Was there even anything else to say? She hated feeling like such a wimp, but more than anything else she wanted to hear his voice.

Steeling her nerves, she dialed Edward's number and waited for him to pick up. He sounded out of breath when he finally answered, but his voice brought a smile to Bella's face.

"Hey, it's me."

"Hi! I was just thinking about you."

Bella laughed at the mimic of her earlier words to Alice. "That seems to be a popular theme today."

"Huh?"

"Never mind. I just wanted to say hi and see what you're up to."

"Oh. I'm at practice." When he didn't go into an elaborate detail of how that was going, Bella knew that Alice had been correct. Something was up with the band.

"Getting ready for your Saturday gig?" She leaned against the back of Charlie's chair while she spoke. She was fishing for some more information about the band, but Edward didn't seem interested in biting.

"Yeah," he said and paused for several beats. What he didn't say revealed more than his one-word response. "What are you doing today?"

"I'm baking cookies."

"What kind?" Bella could hear his excitement through the phone. It was the most enthusiasm he'd expressed to her in weeks.

"Peanut butter for Charlie. I'll probably make chocolate chip later on. I'm saving the sugar cookies for Christmas Eve."

"You're killing me, Bella. I love your cookies."

Bella wanted to snap that he could have had all the cookies he'd ever wanted if he'd just come to Forks with her. But, she didn't. Instead, she tapped her fingernail along the wooden support of the chair. The sound it made was a soothing accompaniment to the staccato of her heartbeat. Her nerves were still a little on edge. She decided the best way to calm her nerves was to spit out what was weighing most heavily on her mind.

"I talked to Jacob last night."

Bella could hear Edward's intake of breath clearly through the phone line. "And how did that go?" Even after all that had happened, he had to know how hard it had been for her to talk to Jacob. She needed to share this with him and have him understand the struggle it had been and the way she felt now.

"It went well. He said some things, I said some things, but I think we both came away with a new appreciation for the other. More importantly, I feel relieved now that I've cleared the air with him. He wants to be friends again, so we're going to try that out and see what happens."

Edward was silent for a long time. His silences spoke volumes. They usually meant that he was over-analyzing the situation. When Edward finally spoke, the end result of his analyzation took her by surprise.

"I thought you were done with Jacob. I didn't realize you'd planned on bringing him back into your life. Do you think that you can be just friends with him?"

Bella didn't like what he was implying. She was capable of more than he gave her credit for.

"Yeah, I do think that I can be just friends with him," she snapped. She was swiftly losing the ability to keep the annoyance out of her voice. "I've known him my entire life and if I can find a way to fit him back into it, that's what I'm going to do."

"But how can you be so sure that your feelings won't change again? I thought you were looking for closure with Jacob, not leaving an opening for him in case…"

"In case of what, Edward? In case I come to my senses and realize what a jerk you've been for the past month? Guess what – I'm already there. You've done your very best to push me away. You told me that you needed your space. You sent me home alone for the holidays. Do you honestly expect my life to stop just because you can't get your head together? That's not going to happen. I'm going to do all that I can to make sure that I keep the friends that I have, whether you like it or not."

"So, I'm supposed to stand idly by while you make friends with all the single men in the country? You're my girlfriend and I'll be damned if I'm going to let any man get cozy with you." Edward's control must have snapped along with Bella's. She could hear the ire in his voice.

"So now I'm your girlfriend again? Convenient how you toss that word around at your leisure. You can't act jealous and possessive now. Are we even still together, Edward? Because, I don't know. You never explained how this grand plan of yours was going to work. I've tried to be understanding. I've tried to be supportive. But, it's breaking me in half, Edward." It amazed Bella how quickly she'd gone from just wanting to hear his voice to unleashing all her emotions. It was his own fault though. She seethed at his ability to snap her control so easily.

"Bella, please calm down. I didn't mean…" Bella could hear his anger cooling just by the tone of his voice, but she was just getting warmed up.

"And don't tell me how to act! If I want to get upset, then that's what I'm going to do. It's not your decision to make. You need to make a choice, Edward, because I can't do this anymore. I thought I could wait until I come back, but I need to know. What is it that you want, Edward? Do you want me? Do you want your career? It never occurred to me that you couldn't have us both. Why does it have to be one or the other with you? But, if that's the way you want it, you're going to have to choose. Since you can't share, which is it: me or your career? I won't wait around forever. This hurts too much."

Bella hadn't meant to lay all that out for him over the phone. She had really thought that she could be patient and wait things out. But Jacob and her dad had been watering her seeds of doubt for the past few days, and those seeds were ready to break through the soil now. She couldn't live in this limbo for much longer. If she had to go on without Edward in her life, then she wanted to start doing that as soon as possible. It would be easier to get her act together before she went back home rather than after.

Like a light bulb, Bella realized that she didn't have to leave it up to Edward to decide. She could make the decision for him. She could end things with him now. Then, she could spend the rest of her trip home trying to get over him. Mending her broken heart and moving on with her life. Or, she could just keep waiting for him to make a decision.

Bella didn't want to end things with Edward, but she would if it meant preserving the tender and delicate sense of self that she'd forged since her move. She hadn't gone through the GROJP just to fall for another man who didn't know how to treat her properly. She'd grown since the days she'd obsessed over Jacob. She wasn't the same meek girl who had left Forks. If she could find the courage to get past Jacob, then she would find it to move past Edward too if she had to.

Suddenly feeling drained, she collapsed onto the kitchen chair she'd been leaning against. Why did every conversation with Edward seem so mentally challenging? "This is all so confusing. You seemed so happy when the band started getting gigs, and things were great between us. What happened? I don't understand what made you think that you have to choose."

"Bella, I..."

"Never mind," Bella interrupted whatever half-hearted reply he was about to give her. She was done talking to him. "I've got some cookies to bake."

Bella hung up the phone with a decisive click. She hated this limbo. But, she'd finally done something about it. And she wasn't going to let Edward ruin any more of her pre-holiday cheer.

***

Bella funneled her frustration and anger into the best outlet she had: cookies. She made lots and lots of cookies. There were enough to feed the entire town, and she sent copious amounts of them to the station with Charlie.

She spent a lot of time thinking about Edward as she baked. More time than he deserved. Their last conversation had been a nightmare and she could only guess as to what possibilities were left open to them now. Bella knew how important music was to Edward. He seemed to be stuck at a fork in the road and couldn't make a decision. Bella had a hard time imagining that he would choose the fork that led him to her instead of the one that carried him to his life-long dream. She'd made her position clear on the phone. He needed to choose. She fully expected a phone call to come announcing his decision and that would leave her out of his life forever. So be it. She would survive. She would have to.

Jacob showed up not too long after Charlie had left. Edward's accusations still rang in her ears but she pushed them away. She and Jacob could be friends. Plus, Jacob bounded in so much like his old self that Bella couldn't fathom any awkwardness rearing its ugly head and ruining the moment.

"Can I take some cookies home with me? The guys having been busting my chops for hording them," he announced as he settled into his usual spot at the table.

"Maybe you should give me a hand in making them then, instead of just eating the final product."

"Aw, Bells, you know I'm no good with woman's work." Bella threw a ball of cookie dough at his head, ignoring the teasing twinkle in his eye. He knew all her buttons and how to push them.

"Stand up and get over here. Just be thankful I don't have a frilly pink apron to tie on you." Bella heard the scrape of the chair against the floor and smiled. This banter between her and Jacob felt natural. It felt good to be back on familiar ground with him again.

Once he was standing next to her at the counter, Bella gave him some instructions and left him in charge of the gingersnaps. Those were almost fool-proof.

"So, Charlie told me that you spent Thanksgiving in Chicago this year. No crazy visits with Renee?"

Bella rolled out the dough for the chocolate-peppermint cookies as she talked. "Not this year. She and Phil went to Tuscany for the holiday – they sent me a postcard from some tiny town they discovered. I had dinner with Edward and his family. It was nice having a home-cooked meal for once." Renee had always insisted that they go out for dinner since she couldn't cook and refused to let Bella do it.

"When did you see her last?"

Bella checked Jacob's progress on the cookie dough. It looked ok – so far.

"Um….over the summer, when I went to see her for that week?" They'd spent the time driving up and down the Florida gulf coast, in search of inspiration and enlightenment for Renee's art. Bella had spent most of that time missing Jacob. Oh, how things had changed in the last six months.

"You know it's not your fault – that she left?"

Bella slapped the dough she'd been rolling down onto the board in a cloud of flour. "Jacob, we've been over this before." Several times in fact. She didn't know why he insisted on bringing it up again. It wasn't even like he'd been born when it had happened.

"I know how you get about her, and I'm not convinced that you realize that whole disappearing act was all about her, especially now. It wasn't about you."

Bella turned around and rested her hands on the counter behind her. "What do you mean 'especially now?'"

Jacob's jaw tightened and he looked like he was going to ignore her, but he turned his steady gaze on her. "This Edward guy. Whatever his malfunction is, it's his problem, not yours. There's nothing wrong with you. Hells Bells, you're practically perfect."

"Jacob," Bella murmured, not liking the direction of the conversation. She didn't want him thinking that she was perfect. She wasn't – not by a long shot.

"Your mom, Edward, shit, even that skank Lauren; it doesn't matter what they think. You're the only one who can make yourself happy. Your whole existence shouldn't rely on anything but that. I hate to see you moping around over some guy. It's almost as bad as when you'd come back from your mom's. You wanted her approval, whether you'd admit it or not. I think it's the same way with Edward."

"You don't know anything about Edward," Bella responded, tamping down the anger she felt at having her entire life magnified and examined.

"I don't see him here to change my mind."

It was a low blow and Bella turned her back on Jacob so he wouldn't see the hurt in her eyes.

"Fuck, I'm sorry. I don't want to make you cry. It's just, he doesn't deserve you. If he can't figure his shit out enough to realize how great you are and come out here to meet your family, then how can he be worth the tears and constant defending that you do for him?"

"I don't know what the right thing is anymore, Jake." Bella was scared. Her conviction in Edward had been unwavering, but as the days passed she was finding it increasingly difficult to rationalize his actions.

"You're stronger than you ever gave yourself credit for. You're going to figure it out. I just want you to do what's right for you, Bells. It hurts a little to tell you that, since that kind of puts me out of the running too, but I only ever wanted what was best for you. You getting out of this town was for the best. You'll figure out if Edward is what's best for you soon enough."

Bella heard the spoon hitting the sides of the metal bowl and knew that he was done for the moment. The ball of dough in front of her reminded her of the way she felt at the moment: lumpy, a little dry, and without any discernable shape. Bella wasn't going to wait for a cookie cutter to come around and tell her what shape to be though. She'd form her own shape and let the cookie cutter shape itself around her for once.

***

Christmas Eve came and Bella spent the day putting the finishing touches on the Christmas tree. She made her sugar cookies, and those were the last cookies she planned to make that year. She'd sent Jacob to the grocery store, list in hand, for all the ingredients they would need for the meal the next day.

The Swan Christmas Eve tradition was a simple one: lots of firewood, lots of punch, lots of cookies, and lots of friends. It was the only time of year that Charlie was social and allowed other people into his home. The usual suspects from La Push were the first to arrive, closely followed by Charlie's deputies and their wives. Charlie made his usual joke about it being the one night that any crime happened in Forks because the entire police force was too busy to respond to calls. In actuality, one lone soul was always left behind to man the station in case anything did come in.

A few other townies made their way into the Swan house and it was soon packed to overflowing. Bella made the rounds as usual, trying to be a good hostess. She liked big crowds about as much as Charlie, but somehow they seemed to survive this one show of hospitality every year.

She bore the constant stream of questions about her errant boyfriend with a smile. Yes, his name is Edward. Yes, they work together. No, he wasn't able to get away this year. Yes, maybe next year. No, she didn't think they would be getting married any time soon. Yes, apple pie was still her favorite.

Talking about Edward was the closest she had come to talking to him since their angry phone call the day before. Apparently, he had a hard time making decisions. Fortunately for him, Bella was well on her way to making a decision on her own.

When Jacob approached an hour later, Bella was glad to see him.

"Hey, are you having a good time?" She asked, filling up his punch cup.

He didn't return her smile and she noticed that he was holding something.

"I was upstairs using the bathroom, and I heard your phone ringing. I didn't answer it!"

He must have taken notice of the sudden fierce look on her face because he backed away as far as he could in the crush in the small kitchen.

"But, uh, I think it was Edward." He shoved the cell phone at her quickly and walked into the living room.

Bella stared down at her phone, which was blinking furiously at her. She couldn't believe that Edward was calling her on Christmas Eve. She'd been clear with him: she didn't want to hear from him until he figured things out. She couldn't imagine any scenario where this phone call ended happily. She didn't have to take it lying down though. Mr. Edward Cullen would hear a few choice words from her before he rode off into the sunset.

Bella's phone rang and she almost dropped it. Apparently, Edward was pretty insistent on doing this today. She was tempted to keep ignoring it, but it was going to hurt whether it happened Christmas Eve, next Tuesday, or on Arbor Day. At least now she would know. Bella headed into the laundry room and closed the door behind her. It was the only amount of privacy she would be afforded.

"Hello?" Her heart raced and she wanted to throw up. She needed to gather her strength in order to have this conversation with Edward, and she couldn't do that if she was a spastic mess.

"Bella? Can you hear me?"

"Yes, I hear you."

"Bella?"

"Edward?" This was like a repeat of the conversation they'd had her first night here. The reception must have been bad again.

"I can barely hear you." He was shouting now, but she could hear him clear as anything. "Why don't you step outside? Maybe the signal will be better there."

Bella sighed. Not only was she having the worst relationship conversation ever over the phone, she was going to have to be cold and wet while it happened too. She opened the door off the laundry room and stepped into the backyard. She checked her bars and they were full and transmitting.

"I'm outside now," she told him. She was anxious to get to the part where she could yell at him for being such a lousy person for the past few weeks.

"I don't….I think the reception is better out in the front of the house, Bella."

Bella sighed and started walking around the side of the house. "Wait, how did you know I was in the backyard?"

"Hello? Bella?"

Bella shook her phone. The signal must have faded out again. She wandered around front and approached the front step so she'd at least have someplace to sit and a light to sit under. "I'm in the front yard now."

"Bella, turn around."

Bella dropped her phone when she heard his voice. He hadn't spoken the words into the phone. He'd spoken them from right behind her.

"Edward?" Bella whispered and spun around, not sure if she was imagining things or if he was really standing in her dad's tiny front yard in Forks. Her eyes stared at his face, the thick green coat she knew so well and a pair of orange rain boots she'd never seen before. His hair was completely soaked and the tip of his nose was red, but other than that, he looked just the same as always. Her chest seized at the sight of him and her throat constricted.

"Hey," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"What are you doing here?" Bella was trying not to cry – she really was. But there was only one reason for him to be there. And it had to be the complete opposite of what she'd been thinking from the moment she'd answered the ringing phone. She was still ready to give him a piece of her mind, but that feeling was currently being overruled by the stark joy her heart felt at seeing him in the flesh, and what his unexpected appearance meant.

"I heard you - the night you arrived and I called you and you thought the reception was so bad? I heard every word you said. I'd been trying to call you all day and you never answered the phone. I called the airline a hundred times to make sure that your plane had landed safely, but it drove me crazy that I couldn't get in touch with you." His words ran together as if he were trying to spit them out as quickly as possible. As if he were afraid that she would run from them before he had the chance to finish. His eyes were pleading with her to give him a chance and Bella's heart clenched again at the emotion and vulnerability she saw written across his face.

"I'd imagined all sorts of horrible accidents you could have had. And then when I finally heard your voice, I froze. Your sweet, soft voice made me realize how much I'd missed you and what a shit I'd been. And then you started telling me all those things about Jacob and Charlie, and how hurt and upset you were. And I just started feeling sorry for myself all over again. Bella, I've been a fool and I'm sorry for all the ways that I've hurt you."

He paused for a breath and his voice broke when he spoke again. "I want so badly to take back all the things I said and did. I've been on my own for so long that I'm not used to making decisions that affect other people too. It's always just been me. What do I want? What's best for me? I can't think like that anymore, and I don't want to. I want what's best for us – you and me. I want to know what you want. My wants have changed dramatically since I met you. But what I want above anything else is to make you happy, and I can only hope that you'll give me that chance again. You were right, but then again, you usually are. I can't live without you. I don't want to live without you. I've been an awful prat and I'm sorry. I can't promise that I'll be perfect, but I love you so much and I'm just hoping that you haven't given up on me just yet."

"Edward…" Bella took a step towards him and his eyes pleaded with her to let him finish what he needed to say.

"Bella, I need you. I need you like I need water and air. My life, my music, my whole world is a pale imitation of the real thing when you're not there. Please tell me that it's not too late for us. Please."

His final whispered entreaties were Bella's undoing. All her pain, sadness and grief pushed to the back of her mind with his words. Things weren't perfect, but the potential was there now for something better.

Bella ran to him, wrapping her arms around him tightly and pulling his head down for a kiss. She attacked his lips with all the emotions that had been circling, letting him feel her frustration, love, lust, and hurt all rolled up into one. His hands slowly slid out of his pockets and he pulled her tight against his body, right where she belonged.

Bella ripped her mouth away and planted kisses all over his face. "I can't believe you're here."

"What else could I do?"

"What about the band?" Bella nibbled on his chin while she waited for a response, not willing to let him go just yet.

"I called their bluff. But we can talk more about that later. I have the next five days free. Do you think your dad will mind having a guest for a few days?"

"We'll just have to ask him." Bella smiled at him and felt the tears that she'd been trying to hold back slip down her cheeks. "You really came."

Edward wiped her tears away with his thumbs while he cradled her face, a cautious smile breaking through the uneasy hope that he'd been expressing since she'd jumped into his arms. "I really did. I wasn't sure what my reception would be, but this so far exceeds anything that my imagination had come up with. I wasn't sure that you would want me back."

"Only if you're serious about making changes. There can't be any more lies or half-truths between us. That goes for both of us. If you have a problem, we have to talk about it."

"I'm not the best at that, but I'm willing to try harder."

Bella was ridiculously happy to see him, and she had a hard time peeling her eyes away from his face. His green eyes, which weren't clear but only slightly murky. His thick eyebrows. His hair that seemed to have grown even in the short time they'd been apart. He hadn't shaved recently, and his face was covered in stubble. She wanted to memorize each and every inch of his face. She leaned in and kissed him again, and she took the time to explore his lips with her own. Letting her lips memorize the taste and texture of his mouth, just as her eyes had done. Her heart pounded from the emotions she'd kept at bay for so long.

"Bella, if we keep this up, I won't be in any shape to meet your father."

Bella pulled back and blinked up at him, slowly remembering where they were.

"You're just in time for the party." Bella took his hand and dragged him towards the front door.

"I noticed that you seem to have quite the number of cars parked around the house."

"Come on. You'll get to meet everyone all at once."

"Oh, goody," Edward muttered under his breath as she pulled him into the house.

Bella knew that they still had a lot to talk about, but she was blown away by his surprise appearance in Forks. It was difficult to think about all the bad things that they needed to sift through when Edward was standing proudly next to her.

Bella kept Edward's hand clasped tightly to hers. This was going to be the tricky part: explaining the sudden appearance of the boyfriend she'd spent the last two hours making excuses for why he couldn't be there.

Fortuitously, Charlie was in the middle of his annual toast. His face was beet red and he was stumbling over his heart-felt thanks, just like always. He blinked when he saw Bella enter the room, but he nearly fell over when he saw the someone standing right behind her. Someone who was holding her hand like they belonged together.

Everyone noticed when Charlie stopped speaking altogether. Jacob was the first to follow the path of his eyes all the way to the doorway where she and Edward stood. Bella felt the heat of his gaze like a laser beam, but she pasted her best smile on her face as the rest of the room turned to see what made Charlie completely mute.

Almost two dozen pair of eyes steadily watched as Bella gave Edward's hand a small squeeze in support. The room was completely silent now as their friends and guests waited in rapt attention for Bella to speak. "Everyone, this is Edward Cullen – my boyfriend." Bella smiled up at him as he gave a little wave to the stupefied occupants of the room.

Bella turned back to the stunned room and watched her dad's face as he blinked and set his punch cup down. He was the first to walk across the room towards them. The rest of their guests were eager as they watched the private drama unfold right before their eyes.

Charlie gave Bella a hard, searching look. She smiled and nodded her head, letting him know that this was what she wanted. Charlie stuck his hand out and pumped Edward's a few times.

"Welcome, Edward. We're glad you could make it after all."

"Thank you, sir. There isn't anywhere else I'd rather be."

Charlie muttered something about firewood before stomping off towards the laundry room. Bella had a moment to squeeze Edward's hand in reassurance before everyone else came over to greet him.

Edward put the Cullen charm to good use. He had most of the guests ignoring the fact that Charlie Swan had never come back from the wood pile and that Jacob Black seemed to have disappeared from the party as well. Bella decided to ignore the pair of them for the time being. It was always best to leave Charlie alone when he got in a snit and Jacob, well, she would hunt down Jacob later. She needed to introduce him to Edward.

The rest of the evening passed much too quickly for Bella. She never let go of Edward's hand, and he seemed reluctant to have her any farther away either. Charlie finally reappeared just as the first of the guests were leaving. Thankfully, he seemed calmer and Bella could only hope that he'd come to a sensible resolution in his mind.

The last of the guests were gone by the time Jacob mysteriously appeared at her side. Charlie had taken Edward into the den to show him where he'd be sleeping and Bella was in the kitchen putting the rest of the food away.

"Bella," Jacob said, making Bella jump and grab at her heart.

"I hate it when you do that," she huffed as she waited for heart to calm down again.

"I need to get on home. Am I still invited for dinner tomorrow?"

Bella put down the box of crackers she'd been holding. "Of course you are. Why wouldn't you be?"

"Just seemed a little crowded now that your boyfriend's here. Didn't know if there'd still be room for me."

Bella sighed and rubbed her eyes. Why did all the moody men gravitate towards her? Was she destined to spend her life soothing male egos?

"We have never had a Christmas dinner without you and we're not going to start any time soon. 3:00. Don't be late. And don't forget the rolls. Mrs. Thomas said she'd leave them…"

"…in the cold storage around back. I know, Bells."

"Bella?" Edward's voice broke into the quiet of the kitchen. Bella turned and found him just inside the kitchen door, looking between her and Jacob questioningly.

"Edward." Bella walked across the room and took his hand. He seemed to need some reassurance and Bella couldn't help the subtle signal to Jacob that all was almost back to normal with her and Edward. "Edward, this is my friend Jacob Black. Jake – this is Edward Cullen."

Both men regarded the other with a cool look of appraisal. They were about the same height, but that was where their similarities ended. Jacob was muscular where Edward was toned and lean. Edward was fair where Jacob was dark. Jacob had an earthy, good-natured look about him that made him all the more attractive. Edward was refined, chiseled and classically handsome.

Edward stuck his hand out first and leaned in to shake Jacob's hand. "Black," he said in way of greeting, giving the other man's hand a hard squeeze and a powerful pump. Neither man seemed happy to meet the other and their eyes lacked the warmth that Bella usually found when they regarded her.

"Cullen," Jacob finally replied. He dropped his hand and took a step back, but not before he shot Bella a calculating look. "Nice of you to show up."

"I wouldn't have missed it. I've missed my girl and we've got a lot of catching up to do." Edward wrapped his arm around Bella's shoulders and pulled her in snug against his side. Bella frowned at his caveman tactics. And she didn't appreciate his sexual innuendo either.

Jacob's jaw clenched and he shot Bella another pained look. "See you tomorrow, Bells." He left the kitchen quickly and the front door slammed behind him moments later.

Bella shrugged out of Edward's hold and went back to putting away the food. "Did you have to goad him on like that?"

"I'm sorry, Bella. I don't like that guy."

"You don't know him! I'm not saying that you have to be best friends, but could you make a small effort to get along with him, for me? Please?" Bella didn't like that they were already fighting. They should be kissing and cuddling and making up for lost time.

"Baby, come here."

Bella turned and discovered Edward leaning against her favorite counter. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he didn't want to fight any more either. She smiled and walked over to him. He quickly lifted her up onto the counter and Bella sighed at the feel of his hands on her body. It had only been a few weeks, but she practically caught fire from the feel of his hands on her.

"This isn't going to be easy, is it?" Edward asked.

Bella shook her head. "We've got some things to talk about. But not tonight. I just want to enjoy being with you."

"Me too, Bella." Edward leaned in and kissed her and Bella felt that familiar spark in her gut start to tingle. She pulled his body in close so that her knees framed his hips and dug her hands into his hair. She giggled against his mouth and Edward pulled back.

"What's so funny?" He whispered against her lips.

"You're hair's still wet, and whatever product you put in it this morning is making it stand up in all directions. We're going to have to Washingtonize your wardrobe a bit. Protect those pretty locks of yours."

"I bought boots! I didn't realize I was going to need dress like the Gorton's Fisherman."

"Welcome to the Pacific Northwest," Bella said right before she kissed him again.

Charlie's quiet cough broke them apart several moments later. Bella's cheeks turned pink at being caught making out with her boyfriend. It didn't matter that she was 23 years old – she wasn't used to showing copious amounts of affection in front of her dad.

"Bells, we can clean this up tomorrow. Just leave the rest of it for tonight. I'm heading to bed. Edward, the cot's set up for you in the den." Charlie gave him a long, hard look that needed no interpretation. He would not be pleased if Edward was found bunking anywhere else in the house other than the office.

Edward stepped away from Bella and nodded at Charlie. "Thank you sir."

Bella listened to her dad as he stomped up the steps and into his bedroom. "Are you going to 'sir' him all weekend?"

"Yes. I need to do something to get back in his good graces." Edward tugged her hand until she jumped off the counter and he pulled her into the living room so they could sit on the couch together. Bella sat next to him, but she turned so she could face him and rested her legs across his lap.

"He told me that he knows how to make people disappear."

Bella swatted his shoulder in disbelief. "No, he didn't."

"He also reminded me that you're his only daughter and he has no problem doing what's necessary to make sure that you're happy."

"Edward, be serious."

"And, he wants me to go fishing with him on Saturday."

That sounded almost plausible to Bella. "Really? You two must have had quite the chat." Bella didn't think that they'd had but 15 minutes alone together. Charlie must have been anxious to speak his mind. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him that I'd love to go fishing with him. Dad took me and Emmett fishing all the time when we were kids, so I shouldn't embarrass myself too much. I also reassured him that I only want to make you happy too. That's going to be my new goal in life, Bella. I want to make you smile every day. Forever."

Bella's breath caught at his words. They hadn't talked about their future together, but he seemed to be implying something now. She wasn't sure that she was ready to have this conversation yet. Her emotions were a mess and they had so much they still needed to work out. She wasn't going to jump into a permanent commitment with anyone unless they were both 100% positive of their feelings, goals and desires for the future.

"Edward," she murmured, trailing her finger across the back of his neck.

"Isabella, I love you. I know things have moved pretty quickly for us and that we're not ready for marriage yet, but I want you to know that's what I want. I want to marry you. These past few weeks, you've been in my each and every thought. Even when I was acting stupid and pushing you away because I was confused, I thought about you all the time. I hope that in time, I can win back your trust and you'll want what I want too."

Bella shook in his arms, listening to his softly-spoken entreaties. She wished that he had said these words to her a month ago. She would have taken them into her heart and surrounded them with all the love that she had always freely shared with him. Now, after all that had happened, she couldn't share that love with him as freely anymore. Once bitten, twice shy. His words had a powerful affect on her regardless. She could feel his love as if it were a physical entity. It pushed against her heart, trying to fight its way in. Her resistance was thin, but persistent.

Edward rubbed his hands over her back and she accepted his soothing calmness without a word. "Can I give you your Christmas present now?"

Bella's heart stopped. After his declaration, she was afraid to see this Christmas present. What would she do if he'd gotten her a ring? If he got down on one knee, right here on her father's living room floor and proposed? What would she say? She couldn't accept him, not now. There was still too much unsaid between them.

He must have registered her shock because he took her chin in his hand and turned her face so he could look into her eyes. "It's ok. I can give it to you tomorrow instead. Or maybe we should wait until after we both get home…"

Bella knew that she wouldn't be able to last any length of time. She had to know what it was, whether it was a ring or a gift card or a box of soap, she wouldn't get any sleep until she knew for sure. "Now's fine," she squeaked. "But, I don't have your present here. I left it at home."

"I don't care about that," he told her as he leaned back and shoved his hand into the pocket of his jeans. He pulled out a small box, wrapped only in a thin, silver ribbon.

Bella's breath caught again. It was a jewelry box. She frantically searched Edward's face for some clue of what was inside, but it revealed nothing. His features were calm and steadily awaiting her reaction.

He placed the small box in the palm of her hand. Bella felt its slight weight and the warmth it radiated, no doubt from being pressed against Edward's body. She took a deep breath and pulled off the ribbon, letting it flutter to the floor. The small box was hinged and she slowly opened the lid to reveal what lay inside.

The light sparkled off the diamond and Bella thought her heart stopped beating for sure. She couldn't do this – she couldn't let him propose. Not now. She started to shove it back into his hand, trying to think of an apology along the way, but the light hit something else in the box and she pulled it back just in time to investigate. A thin gold chain looped through a clasp that supported what Bella had thought was a diamond ring. It was actually a diamond pendant. The stone was large enough that it sparkled brilliantly even in the dim light of the living room. Bella gasped as she pulled the chain out of the box and let it dangle for further inspection.

"Edward, it's beautiful."

"Let me put it on you," he whispered, taking the chain from her hands and working the clasp between his large fingers. Bella moved her hair out of the way and felt his hands brush against her neck as he placed it against her skin. When he was finished, Bella ran her own fingers across the delicate chain and over the large bump of the diamond.

"I wanted you to know how very serious I am about you. This gift is a promise for our future. I want to be with you forever, Bella."

Edward leaned down and placed a kiss on the back of her neck. Bella sighed and leaned back into his embrace. She was completely overwhelmed and had no words to express all the crazy emotions brimming at the surface. Edward continued to kiss along her neck, which made Bella sigh even more. She'd missed this most of all; just being in his arms and quietly sharing their love and affection with each other. Bella tugged on his hair and his mouth finally moved around to meet hers in searing, open-mouthed kisses. Edward moaned loudly when she sucked on his tongue, which she took as her cue to end things while they were still ahead. She really didn't want to get caught by her dad twice in one night.

"Thank you, Edward," she told him simply.

"You're welcome," he whispered against her lips.

He helped her close up the house and turn off the lights, then left her reluctantly at the base of the stairs. "Good night, Bella. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Edward." Bella climbed the steps to her small room and got ready for bed. She crawled between the cool sheets and listened to the rain, thinking all the while about Edward. She fell asleep with her hand wrapped around her Christmas present.


	27. Chapter 27

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight. It all belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

Much like it had all week, the phone rang bright and early Christmas morning. Bella groaned and pried one eye open to look at the time. Why didn't anyone want her to sleep while she was on vacation? Seven am was just way too early for anyone to call. Bella heard footsteps in the kitchen and realized that either Charlie or Edward were up and about already. She groaned and pulled the covers over her head, hoping to go back to sleep.

"Bells! Your mom's on the phone!" Charlie bellowed up the stairs. Bella should have known that her mom would call at an inappropriate time on Christmas morning. She always forgot that Forks was three hours behind Florida.

Accepting the inevitable, Bella got up and shuffled down to the kitchen to take the phone call. She was greeted by a surprising sight. Edward and Charlie sat at the table together, both of them dressed and ready for the day. Someone had cooked the eggs and bacon she had in the fridge and she was willing to bet that it was Edward. He'd never cooked her breakfast before. She cocked an eyebrow at the homey scene in front of her.

"Morning, Merry Christmas," Edward greeted her. Bella grunted in return, not ready to greet the day quite yet.

Bella picked up the receiver and mumbled a hello.

"Bella! Merry Christmas! How's that hunky boyfriend of yours?" Bella blinked at said hunky boyfriend while she listened to her mom. Renee, of course, had no idea of the recent "break" that she and Edward had been on and she felt no need to disclose that now.

"Merry Christmas. Edward's fine. How's Phil?" Renee droned on for a while about Phil and all the scouting trips he'd been on lately. He worked for the Marlins organization and was always on the lookout for a good arm and quick feet, or so Bella had been told.

"Did the gift I sent you make it alright to Forks? You still like pink, right? I know you probably wouldn't buy something from Victoria's Secret on your own, so I took the liberty – I knew you wouldn't mind." Bella turned her back on Edward and Charlie so they wouldn't see her blush.

"We haven't opened any presents yet." While she was a tad disgruntled at having one of her presents revealed before she could even open it, she appreciated the heads up. No way was she going to open a box of lingerie in front of her dad. She would have to sneak that box into her luggage for later perusal.

"Why not? Oh, shit, it's early there isn't it? I'm sorry – I probably pulled you out of bed."

"It's ok. It was time to get up anyway." Bella turned back around and grabbed a piece of bacon off the table to nibble on. Now that she was more fully awake, she was starting to get hungry and the smell of the breakfast food was making her stomach grumble.

Edward jumped up as soon as Bella backed away from the table and grabbed a plate from the cupboard. Silverware came next and then a cup. Bella watched him wide-eyed: how did he know where they kept everything?

Renee was buzzing in her ear about the gifts that she and Phil had exchanged but Bella was listening only half-heartedly. Edward's actions were completely mesmerizing. He quickly placed a plate of steaming scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, and buttered toast at one of the empty seats at the table. A cup of orange juice soon joined them. He even dug out the blackberry jam that he knew was her favorite. He sat back down and stared at her intently and Bella was left to wonder who this stranger was in her dad's kitchen. Had he ever been so attentive before?

Renee was winding down and Bella muttered that she needed to go. "Breakfast's getting cold."

"Oh, of course! It was good talking to you sweetie! Bye!"

Bella mumbled a goodbye before hanging up the phone and taking a seat at the table. Charlie was still engrossed in his newspaper, but Edward was engrossed in…her.

"Are you hungry? I could make more eggs if these aren't enough."

Bella picked up her fork and examined the plate in front of her. Everything seemed to be cooked to perfection.

"I didn't know that you could cook." She said it like an accusation, as if he'd been hiding something from her all this time.

"I can cook eggs, bacon, and toast. I can also boil water, and I'm a great stirrer. Obviously, I'm not in your league so there's never been anything for me to brag about." He shrugged his shoulders as if that explained why after dating for two months he'd never bothered to cook her anything. Not that Bella had ever minded cooking for the two of them, it just came as a surprise that there were still some things that she didn't know about him.

She took a tentative bite of the eggs and found them surprisingly tasty. "Hot sauce?" She mumbled around her mouthful of eggs.

"Yeah, Seth and I discovered that by accident during our sophomore year, but it adds a nice kick."

Charlie grunted his appreciation for the hot sauce around the sports section.

"They're really good." Bella devoured her breakfast. All the while, Edward studied her face like he was memorizing it. She spread the homemade blackberry jam onto her piece of toast and then laughed when half of it slid down her face before it made it into her mouth. She lifted her napkin to wipe the mess away, but Edward's hand was quicker.

"Let me," he whispered as he used his thumb to wipe up the trail of jam. He gently swiped his thumb from her chin towards the corner of her mouth, cleaning up the stickiness along the way. She swore that she could feel each ridge and valley of his fingertip as it slid across her skin.

Bella was frozen in her seat. She couldn't believe that she was getting turned on from the feel of his thumb on her face, but it was the honest truth. She desperately wanted him to lean in and use his tongue to clean up the rest, and she could tell by the way he was staring at her mouth that was what Edward wanted to do as well. But, Charlie's looming presence at the table, no matter how hidden he was behind a newspaper, kept both of them from following through.

She couldn't help wanting one tiny nibble though. When Edward's thumb reached her mouth, she darted her tongue out to meet the pad of his finger. She tasted the jam and the saltiness of the man underneath and she almost groaned aloud. Bella slid her eyes to her father, and content that they had at least 30 seconds of privacy, she sucked his thumb entirely into her mouth. She made quick work of the jam and used her last 20 seconds to run her tongue along the pad of his thumb, sucking quietly on it all the while. Edward's eyes darkened and she saw him move towards her to claim what would have been an inappropriate kiss in front of Charlie. Bella released his thumb and pushed back from the table a little to get out of his reach.

They'd been apart for much too long, and Bella was starting to get uncomfortable. She shifted in her seat in an attempt to relieve some of the needing and she watched Edward do the same. She smiled at him, sorry that she had teased him but enjoying that she could share this moment with him.

She finished her breakfast without any further spillage. She was now pleasantly full and pleasantly surprised at the trouble he'd gone to for her that morning. Bella had missed him, and he was clearly trying to make things up to her. All the extra attention was appreciated and noted.

Charlie placed his newspaper on the table and announced that he and Edward would finish cleaning the house up – together. Bella was sent upstairs to get ready for the day. Bella smiled at Charlie's obvious attempts to keep them apart. It seemed that her dad was afraid that she would have "relations" with her boyfriend right under his nose. She didn't plan on that happening, but then again, she hadn't planned on being turned on by Edward's thumb either. She headed upstairs to get cleaned up, leaving her two favorite men alone.

***

Edward was nervous. He felt like he'd spent more time alone with Bella's father than he had with Bella by this point. Charlie Swan didn't speak a lot, but when he did, he made it worth the effort. Edward had suffered through a tongue lashing the night before that had rivaled any his own father had ever given him.

Charlie was not impressed with Edward Cullen. He had emphasized that in his line of work, he was schooled in the ways of making incidents look accidental. Charlie wasn't going to stand by and watch Edward hurt Bella anymore. That particular statement had twisted the knife that was already in his heart. Edward hated that he'd hurt Bella. He was trying to make amends, but he needed to suck up to her father first or he would never be allowed the chance.

Edward had agreed with most of what Charlie had said to him. He didn't deserve Bella. He did need to get his priorities straight. He did need to stop making her cry.

Clearing his throat, Edward stood a little straighter and looked Bella's father in the eyes. "Sir, I've had a lot of time to think recently, and I've come to some pretty important decisions. I am sorry for the way I have handled things with Bella recently, but I came here with the express purpose of begging her forgiveness."

Charlie's expression didn't change, but he grunted his understanding of what Edward had said. Edward hoped that he would continue to be understanding after what he said next.

"I have come to realize how important Bella is to me and my intentions are nothing but honorable. I intend to one day ask her to be my wife."

Charlie's jaw had tensed and Edward had been momentarily afraid that a punch would be thrown in his direction. But, he needed to say it. He needed her father to know where he intended their relationship to go.

A heartbeat ticked by, and Charlie responded, "I don't approve of shacking up together first. She better not come crying home to me ever again."

Edward gulped and nodded his assent. He wasn't so sure that he could promise that they wouldn't live together first though. Some decisions were better left up to him and Bella anyway. He could promise not to leave her so distraught again though. Edward had made a huge mistake, and he was going to spend as long as it took to make up for it.

And now, here they were again, alone together. Charlie remained at the table while Edward stood and cleared the breakfast dishes. He was surprised to discover that the Swans didn't have a dishwasher, but he got right to work cleaning the dishes. Surprisingly, Charlie joined him a moment later to dry for him.

"That's a heck of a rock my daughter's wearing, Edward."

Edward was not surprised that Charlie's detective skills had picked up the necklace that Bella wore around her neck. It pleased Edward that she hadn't taken it off. His hands had shook the night before when he'd placed it on her neck, but seeing the gold chain and brilliant diamond against her porcelain skin filled him with his first moment of peace in weeks.

"She knows how I feel about her, sir, but I wanted to give her something tangible to remind her as well." Edward was uncomfortable discussing this with Charlie. It was all well and good that he knew Edward's feelings towards Bella, but Edward was reluctant to expound upon them any farther.

"Jacob and his father will be here for dinner later. I don't expect any trouble from either of you."

It was Edward's turn to clench his jaw. Edward had seen very little of the young Jacob Black, but he didn't like what he had seen. His last phone call with Bella had been a revelation for more than one reason. He hadn't expected Bella to want to continue a relationship with Jacob after all that had happened. Never having met the man, Edward had wondered if that was the best idea. Was it possible for the two of them to just be friends after all they'd been through? Bella thought so, and Edward had no reason not to trust her. He did not trust Jacob though. What man wouldn't want something more from Bella?

It shouldn't have been surprising then that when he'd found them in the kitchen the night before, Jacob had been standing much too close to Bella and staring at her breasts. Edward had barely kept his knee-jerk reaction in check. Any other man would have been invited outside and taught some manners. Edward had never punched anyone before, but he was willing to try out his fists of fury on anyone who looked at Bella with such blatant lust in their eyes.

When Charlie ordered him to make nice with Jacob, Edward was feeling less than charitable. He needed to talk to Bella and find out exactly what had been happening before his arrival. He also needed to clear the air about his recent behavior. It didn't look like they were going to have time for that today though. For the time being, he would treat Jacob with as much civility as he could muster. "Yes sir," Edward finally replied.

They finished with the kitchen and cleaned up the rest of the mess from the previous night. By the time Bella came back downstairs, all pink and smelling good from her shower, they were ready to get on with the business of Christmas presents.

Edward had already given Bella one present, but he'd brought one more for her as well. He also had a gift for her dad. He didn't expect any in return, given his surprise appearance on their doorstep the night before.

Bella was breathtaking as she sat on the sofa next to him. Her cheeks were filled with color and her eyes sparkled with excitement. She kept shooting him furtive looks that gave him more hope than anything else that he would be forgiven. He could sense her hesitation and he didn't blame her. He'd been hesitant for a while too. But now, he was all in. No more anteing and bluffing; he was ready to lay down his cards and call it.

He watched as father and daughter exchanged presents. The love and affection they had for one another was obvious, even from the reticent Charlie. A smile actually broke across his face when he opened the box holding the Jesse James biography that Bella had painstakingly chosen for him. Edward knew how much time and energy she'd spent on picking out the gift and he was glad that it had been so happily received. She also gave him a Cullen Academy sweatshirt which Charlie didn't seem quite as pleased about. It probably would have been better received had a certain Cullen not upset his daughter so much.

Bella unwrapped an assortment of books that Edward knew she'd been eyeing recently. He'd bet his Volvo that Alice had emailed a list of books to Charlie at some point. Alice had her nose in everyone's business, but she was so lovable that you couldn't resent her for it.

The last gift from Charlie was a large picture frame collage that Edward knew they would have to ship back home. There was no way she could carry it on the plane. It brought tears to Bella's eyes, and Edward was glad he wasn't at fault for them for once. Her dad must have spent weeks collecting old photos of the two of them, a few of her mom, and even that Jacob character. There were also photos of the town, surrounding scenery and in the middle was a picture of the Swan house.

Charlie shifted uncomfortably at Bella's tears and mumbled, "Didn't want you to forget where you came from."

"Oh, Dad," Bella bounced out of her seat and into Charlie's lap, wrapping her arms around him tight. Charlie's frantic eyes met Edward's across the room and Edward immediately understood what was being asked. It made him enormously happy that Charlie was actually acknowledging Edward's influence for the first time since his arrival.

Edward stood and crossed the room to assist Charlie in his dilemma. "Bella, baby, there's more presents to open." He gently tugged her hands away from Charlie's neck and successfully removed her from her stranglehold on her dad.

"It's just so beautiful. Did you see? I took a lot of these pictures myself." She beamed with equal parts pride and awe and Edward gave her a squeeze.

"Can you show it to me later? I have something else I want you to open."

Bella's hand instantly went to the necklace she wore. "But, you already gave me my present. I don't need anything else."

Edward chuckled as he pulled the box out and laid it on her lap. "It reminded me of you."

Inside the package was a music box that Edward had found while shopping with Emmett for Rosalie's gift. It was in the shape of a ferris wheel, and it actually circled round and round as the music played. It had instantly reminded Edward of one of their first dates. Her smile told him that she was thinking the same thing.

Edward handed Charlie his present while Bella was winding up the music box. The song it played was "Edelweiss" and she kept winding it over and over until Edward almost wished that he'd picked a different song. He'd always had a thing for Maria Von Trapp though.

Charlie seemed content with the box of fishing tackle, but Edward felt very unoriginal. Next year, he'd get him something interesting instead of practical.

Charlie gruffly stood and made his way over to the Christmas tree where only a few presents remained. He handed Bella a box that apparently had come from her mom, but Bella refused to open it. She turned bright red and insisted that it was private between her and Renee. That only made Edward that much more determined to discover what was in the box, but he would have time for that later.

A heavy, rectangular package landed in Edward's lap next. He looked up in surprise at Charlie. Edward had not expected any presents for himself. Charlie motioned for him to open it, which he quickly did.

"Bella's always talking about how you like to play the piano, so I thought you'd enjoy that," Charlie told him as he examined the large book of piano music he'd opened. The music was all written and composed by local musicians and Edward was actually looking forward to trying out some of the songs. He thanked Charlie profusely and smiled at Bella, who was still examining her music box.

Edward called his parents soon after and had a good laugh listening to the Cullen Christmas spectacular that he was missing. George was crying in the background, Emmett and Carlisle were arguing over a game of checkers, and Rosalie was attempting to not burn the meal while Esme talked to Edward. Edward did not miss being with his family this particular year.

The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent in the kitchen. Thankfully, Bella insisted that Charlie sit and watch the football game while she and Edward cooked. And Edward did cook. Bella handled the ham but put him to work on peeling potatoes. Edward watched her every move from his chair at the table. Every time she passed by, Edward pulled her in for a kiss. The third time he did it, she plopped down into his lap and allowed him a longer taste. His right hand slid up her ribcage to the side of her breast. He flexed his fingers as they flitted across her roundness. He desperately wanted to fill his hands with her breasts and tease her nipples into points that he could pluck and pull. Unfortunately, none of that was possible with her father in the next room.

Bella reluctantly slid off his lap when the timer went off and went back to work. He washed some vegetables, measured out cups of flour and sugar, and did whatever else she asked of him. And he did it all with a smile. Because it didn't matter if they were changing a tire in the mud, or working on their taxes, or arguing over a parking spot, he would always be happy just to be in her presence.

As the witching hour neared, Edward started to get anxious. This Jacob guy was going to be a major thorn until they talked about him. Edward wasn't sure that he would last through dinner not knowing what had happened.

They had about thirty minutes until the guests arrived. Most of the food was cooked and ready. Charlie was asleep in front of the TV. Edward didn't think he'd get another minute alone with Bella, so he quickly coaxed her into the den with him for some privacy.

Bella giggled as he closed the door behind him and leaned against it. "Are you going to have your way with me now?"

Edward groaned and closed his eyes, trying to remember all the reasons why he shouldn't flip her skirt up, bend her across the cot and sink into her warm depths.

"No, I want to talk about Jacob now. Why does he look at you like he wants to…do things to you? I thought you told me that he never saw you as anything other than a friend?" Edward was trying to watch his language. He didn't want to come right out and say it, but Jacob looked like he wanted to fuck Bella senseless.

Bella sat on the cot with a sigh. She patted the space next to her, but Edward shook his head. They wouldn't talk if he joined her on the cot.

"This is so strange to talk about now, but I guess we need to get this out in the open. When he picked me up from the airport, he kind of started hitting on me? It was subtle, but because I know him so well, I recognized all his moves. I don't know why - and please stop growling this is hard enough as it is – but he, uh, kissed me."

Edward blinked and snapped his mouth shut. That revelation was not something he had expected to hear. "And did you enjoy it? When he kissed you?" Edward felt his asshole tendencies rising and he tried to push them back into their hidey-hole.

"Don't be like that, please. We've been having such a nice day. No, I didn't enjoy it, and I pushed him away as soon as I realized what was happening. When he and I had our talk, I told him about what my feelings had once been, but that we wouldn't ever be together now. I explained all the reasons why. He was reluctant but finally agreed that we would just be friends. We're trying to work out some new parameters, and I would appreciate it if you wouldn't undo all the hard work I'm putting into it."

"This is a lot for me to take in, Bella. I find out that you've been kissing some other guy who clearly wants to get naked with you, but I'm supposed to be appeased by the fact that you told him that you weren't interested?"

"Yeah, you are. Because you're supposed to be Mr. Honesty and Trust now. Remember? That's what you told me last night out on the front lawn. So you're going to have to trust me and respect my honesty with you. I didn't have to tell you that he kissed me. I could have kept that to myself, but I didn't. I told you because we need to have everything out in the open now. No more secrets. I have nothing left to hide from you. I thought you felt the same way."

Edward shoved his hands into his hair. Fuck. He had not expected this kink to appear. What could he do? What were his options? A – he could get pissed, go home, and never see Bella again. B – he could accept that what she is telling him is fact, and make an effort to not kill this Jacob guy. Neither option was all that great, but B definitely shot ahead of the competition since it involved staying with Bella.

"I do feel the same way. I just don't like the idea of you kissing anyone else. Or anyone else looking at you. Or anyone else thinking about you."

"Edward, we've had this particular discussion before. You can't stop other men from looking at me. You just have to trust that I won't act on it. Just the way that I trust you."

Edward nodded but continued to think through this new situation. He couldn't get the picture of Bella wrapped in that guy's arms out of his head.

"As for the kissing, there's only one way to get past that." Bella paused and Edward held his breath while he waited for her grand solution to what was churning at his gut. "You're going to have to kiss the hell out of me."

Edward's head snapped up at her words and he recognized the look in her eyes. They twinkled at him from across the room, and Edward growled again. Not from anger but from lust. Her suggestion just might get rid of the images that continued to flash across his mind.

It only took him two strides across the room to reach the cot, and he yanked her up and into his arms before she could utter a protest. He couldn't be gentle with her now. She'd issued him a challenge and his instincts took over. He was making his claim. It wouldn't be soft and pretty.

His mouth slammed down onto hers and he pried her lips open with his tongue. She gasped into his open mouth and Edward growled in response. His tongue conquered her mouth just as he wanted his body to overtake hers. He held her arms so she couldn't move, not allowing her roaming hands free access. This was his show and he was going to run it.

When his mouth released hers, she whispered his name. Edward ran his tongue along the length of her neck, tasting her fresh scent and the sugar she'd spilled when she was making the pie. His favorite spot beckoned to him and Edward smiled against her skin. He would get in trouble for what he was about to do, but the animal inside insisted that he mark his territory. He took the skin of her neck into his mouth and sucked and sucked and sucked. Her hands broke free of his prison and slid into his hair, pulling him harder against her body. He wanted to consume her. He wanted to taste her all over, but they had no time for that. Bella started writhing against his body, but Edward's mouth persisted on its course. His.

Bella moaned loudly several minutes later and Edward reluctantly removed his mouth from her skin. He eyed his handiwork with pride. Her father was going to be pissed, but he'd put up with a little crap from the old man in exchange for the look on Jacob Black's face. Let him see what he'd been missing all those years. And what he would continue to miss for the rest of his life. His.

A loud knock on the front door was the only warning they got. They broke apart and Edward smiled while Bella pressed her hands to her flushed cheeks. Perfect. His. She looked like she'd just been ravished. And the darkening mark on her neck spoke volumes.

Edward slipped out of the room first, giving Bella a moment to compose herself. He stepped into the living and found that the Blacks had let themselves in. Charlie was just waking up from his nap. Jacob and his father were standing awkwardly in the living room.

Edward crossed the room and greeted both men with a firm handshake. He'd met Billy Black the night before but hadn't realized at the time that he was Jacob's father.

"Where's Bells?" Jacob asked, causing Edward to smirk. Luckily, her father was too busy fiddling with the remote control to notice.

"She'll be right out. She needed to freshen up."

Jacob's eyes narrowed but flitted away when Bella walked into the room.

"Merry Christmas!" She gave Jacob a quick hug and turned to do the same to his father when Jacob gasped, quite loudly.

"What's wrong with your neck?" He pulled her back by the hand to inspect the love bite that Edward had left behind.

"What?" Bella said confusedly, sliding her hand to the spot on her neck that Jacob indicated. As soon as she touched it, her eyes shot to Edward's and she blushed. God, she was adorable.

The other three men in the room turned their eyes on Edward as well. He shrugged. He wasn't going to make any excuses for making out with his girlfriend. He was a grown man.

"I'll be right back," Bella said, and she shot up the stairs and into her room.

Charlie rose slowly from his chair to his full height, and Edward saw why he made such a good police chief. The look in his eyes as they narrowed on Edward had him squirming and wishing that he'd thought his territorial plan through a bit more thoroughly. It wasn't wise to enrage a man who kept a display of guns in his home. Jacob's father – Billy – took a step back just as Jacob took a step towards Edward, his fists clenched at his sides.

"You are an asshole," Black hissed at him, "and you don't deserve her."

Edward, actually, couldn't argue with him on either count. But, he wasn't going to let Bella's boy toy talk to him like that. "Good thing that's for Bella to decide, and not you. She's made her decision. You need to start respecting it." Edward was mindful of Charlie's warning from the night before. He wasn't going to mix things up with Jacob on Christmas day. However, he did have his pride and he wasn't going to allow some young kid to talk to him as if he were trash.

Charlie crossed the room and moved in between Edward and Jacob. "I won't have either of you ruining Christmas, hear? I'll lock up the first one of you that steps out of line."

Jacob took a few steps back and Edward followed suit, anxious to appease Charlie. "You won't have any problems from me, sir." Edward was going to get on this man's good side if it killed him.

Jacob snickered at Edward's "sir" and Billy smacked him over the head. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Act your age, son." Billy told him and then turned when they heard Bella's tread on the steps again. She scurried into the kitchen and called out "Twenty minutes!"

Charlie, Jacob, and Billy took this as their cue to settle in front of the TV and turn the game back on. Edward blinked at the rapid change in pace. What had happened to the tense and heated exchange they had just been in the middle of? Was it Bella's presence that had made it disintegrate like a puff of smoke? Edward didn't spend too much time pondering it. He had another 20 minutes to spend alone with Bella and he was going to take it.

He found her mashing the potatoes as if they needed to be punished.

"Bella?"

She turned and pursed her lips. His eyes shot to the scarf she'd tied around her neck before bouncing back up to her anger-filled eyes. Uh-oh. Edward knew he was in trouble now.

"A hickey?" She whispered across the kitchen, barely audible over the hum of the mixer. "I can't believe you gave me a hickey!"

Edward crossed the room and took the mixer out of her hands. They were going to end up with potato soup if he allowed her to mash the potatoes any further. "I've wanted to do that since you showed up at school with that mark from that stupid guy you dated." Edward's eye narrowed in remembrance of that particular waste of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon and nitrogen.

"What? How did you…I didn't…Ahhh" Bella sputtered, all the while flinging mashed potatoes around the kitchen as they flew off the spoon she held.

"Besides," Edward lowered his voice, "you weren't complaining when I was sucking on your neck ten minutes ago." He never said that he would fight fair. This woman would be his, even if he had to pull out every trick he had.

"You are so infuriating!"

"Yes, but that's part of my charm. Now, tell me what else needs to be done to get dinner ready. We can't stand here all day discussing how good my lips feel against your skin."

He watched her huff and stomp around the kitchen, smiling all the while. She wouldn't get so irritated if she didn't care. And the fact that she still cared gave him hope more than anything else that they could get things right this time. He just needed to work some more of his magic.

Dinner was actually enjoyable. Edward held Bella's hand underneath the table and glanced her way as often as possible. Charlie and Billy clearly liked to preserve their words, which left Jacob to provide most of the dinnertime conversation. The boy liked to talk. Mostly about all the good times he and Bella had as kids. While Edward appreciated the insight into her childhood, he got the feeling that he was supposed to be annoyed by this show of memories. It actually had the opposite effect. Edward was only going to be allowed this brief glimpse into the life Bella had before they met, and he was going to absorb as much information as possible while he was in town. Bella had infinite resources back home when she needed to know something about him. Up until his trip to Forks, Edward only had the memories she chose to share with him.

Billy made mention of the jewelry Bella wore, and it was only then that Edward noticed the bracelet on her left wrist. He held it up for inspection and listened raptly while she explained Alice's Christmas present. He stopped paying attention while she explained about where the diamond necklace had come from. That he already knew about. He'd been momentarily alarmed about the bracelet, but since it hadn't been a present from Jacob after all, Edward had no reason to get upset about it.

Cleanup after the meal was an all-male activity. A protesting Bella was ushered into the living room with one of her new books in hand. Edward was surprised that the truce between him and Jacob had lasted as long as it had. They would probably never be good friends, but he was able to tolerate his continued presence, so long as he kept his eyes and hands off of Bella. Edward felt a confidence in his relationship with Bella that he wasn't sure he deserved. He was fairly certain that Bella wasn't interested in exploring any more of her past attraction with Jacob. Edward had watched her throughout the meal and she may have smiled at him a few times, but she never looked at Jacob the way that she looked at him.

His connection with Bella was a powerful thing and it would take something stronger than an old crush to come between them. Edward had been in danger of screwing things up but he thought that he was well on his way to making major improvements. He was looking forward to straightening a few things out with Jacob before his Forks trip was over.

By some strange stroke of luck, the opportunity presented itself later that evening. Billy and Charlie had fallen asleep in front of the TV and Bella had retreated to her room so she could call Alice before it got too late in Bear Lake. The rain had stopped, finally, and Edward felt the need to stretch his legs and get some fresh air.

He uncurled his long frame from the Swan couch that was clearly not meant for a man over six feet tall and turned to Jacob who was sprawled out in the only other chair in the room. "Black," he said quietly, not wanting to wake the older men. "Give me a hand with something outside." Edward headed out the door, not bothering to wait to see if the other man followed. He knew his subtle challenge wouldn't be ignored.

Sure enough, not twenty seconds passed before Edward heard the creak of the front door and a soft click as it was set back in place. Edward nodded towards a strand of trees on the far edge of the property figuring they could get some privacy there. There were just some conversations that he didn't want Bella to over hear and this would be one of them.

"I don't like you much, Cullen," Jacob said quite plainly as soon as they stepped into the cloaking darkness of the trees. His voice didn't hold any anger or hostility, but his words were said with unwavering finality. Edward appreciated that Jacob could hold his temper in check. He didn't want to be forced to explain to Bella why he and Jacob had started beating on one another as soon as they'd been left alone.

"The feeling's quite mutual, I assure you. I want you to stop staring at Bella like she's a piece of meat. I want you to keep your hands to yourself. And most importantly," Edward stepped closer so the other man could see his own unwavering conviction, "if you ever kiss her again, I'll beat your face in."

Jacob blew out a breath but didn't back down. He straightened to his full height and Edward could tell that he was disappointed that they were about the same height. It probably would have made the kid feel better to have some advantage over him. "I was wondering if she was gonna tell you about that. Maybe things would have been different if you hadn't treated her like shit. If you hadn't sent her home by herself. If I hadn't been waiting at the airport for her, ready to console her broken heart."

"I don't answer to you, Black," Edward growled, clenching his fists at his side and trying to erase the image of Bella falling into Jacob's arms the second she stepped off the plane. He wasn't about to explain his actions to this kid either. What had happened was between him and Bella. All that mattered was that they were together now.

"You will if you hurt her again. I've known Bella my entire life. I've watched a dozen guys traipse in and out of her life. Surprised? She would be too. She never noticed most of them, with their lame pickup lines and cheesy moves. Bella's always been completely oblivious to her own appeal. You know who kept all the losers away for all these years? Me. I'm the guy who's been looking out for Bella's best interests. I'm the guy who's been chasing away the creeps that would have held her back. She wouldn't have even moved to your little town if it hadn't been for me. So, don't tell me that you don't answer to me. I've been looking out for Bella for my entire life, and I'll keep on doing it until the day I die."

Edward tried to quickly process everything that he'd just heard, but it was a lot to take in all at once. Part of it made sense – Bella didn't know her own appeal and she was completely oblivious to men. And, he already knew the part about why Bella had run away from Forks. Apparently Jacob had not entirely figured out that Bella had left to get away from him and not because of his helpful suggestion. The confusing part was picturing Jacob as Bella's protector. He was actually fulfilling the role right now, but it was unnecessary. Edward would be her protector going forward. It would be his job to beat off any assholes that looked at her the wrong way or tried to take advantage of her good nature. Jacob was no longer needed.

"I'm going to marry her, Jacob." Even in the darkness, Edward could see his eyes go wide in surprise. "Your protection won't be necessary any more. I would appreciate it if you would stay away from my future wife as much as possible."

Edward's words hung in the air. Jacob continued to stare at him with his wide, dark eyes. The wind rustled through the trees and a car could be heard driving down a road in the distance, but otherwise, it was perfectly quiet.

"You don't deserve her. You can't keep her away from me. No matter what has happened over the past few months, we've been friends forever. Any relationship that I have Bella is between me and her."

"Oh, I won't stop her from trying to be friends with you. Only a fool would do that. I just want you to keep your distance. Don't touch her. Don't make her uncomfortable. And don't make her cry. That woman is my entire life and I won't stand for her to be unhappy."

"You are such a fucking hypocrite! I've seen her cry at least three times since she came home, and it was always because of you! You need to start taking some of your own advice. I'm done talking to you, Cullen. I'm not going to listen to you try to make yourself feel better. Stop being a shit to Bella. I know how to fight dirty, and I won't hesitate just because of Bella."

Edward watched Jacob stomp off towards the house. He could only hope that he would collect his father and leave. He only had four days left in town now, and he didn't want to waste any more of it arguing with Jacob Black.

"I guess I should call off the ATV outing I had planned for the two of you tomorrow." Bella's quiet voice bit through the darkness. Edward could tell that she was annoyed but trying to cover it up. He could barely see her outline against one of the far trees, so he steadily headed towards her.

"Probably. I don't think he and I will ever be friends, Bella. I hope that's not going to be a problem."

Bella sighed and leaned her head back against the tree. Edward was glad for these brief moments alone with her, even if they were discussing one of his least favorite people.

"Jacob was my best friend for so long, Edward. I can't give him up completely. I know it seems like I was able to do that these past few months, but if there's any chance for me to have my friend back, I'm going to take it. You know that I don't have feelings like that for him anymore, and he knows that. And I can guarantee you that the day after I'm gone, he'll meet some girl who will completely erase whatever crazy thoughts he's been having about me. I just really want this to work out. Please, don't make it any more difficult."

Edward knew he was being irrational, but Bella made him crazy. This was the exact sort of thing he needed to tone down if he wanted to win Bella back completely. He sensed her reticence still, and he didn't like it. He was going to have to work hard to break through whatever wall she had built up. "I'll try, Bella. That kid makes me want to break things."

Bella laughed and tugged him closer by the sleeve of his shirt. "That kid is only two years younger than me."

"You're a kid too. But I wouldn't want you any other way. God, Bella, I've missed you so much." Edward had crowded her up against the tree and he could smell her scent like there was a tube of it going up his nose. He was hungry for something more than kisses now, but they seemed to be trapped in a rated PG-13 movie. He couldn't risk trying something more intimate with Bella with her father just inside the house. Plus, Edward wasn't sure that Bella was ready to return to their previous intimacy. She hadn't made any move towards that and more importantly, she hadn't even told him that she loved him since his arrival. Not that he was keeping track or anything.

"Edward…did you mean what you said to Jacob? That you're going to marry me?"

Edward ran his nose along her hairline, trying to inhale as much her scent as possible. "I told you that last night. And I told your father. I'll tell every resident of your tiny town if you want me too."

"Forks isn't that tiny. We've got over 3,000 residents," she murmured against the base of his neck. Her hot breath brushed across his chilled skin and Edward felt his dick take notice. Down buddy. They would not be seeing any action any time soon.

"Where do you want to live, Bella?"

Edward closed his eyes and waited for her answer. He tried to stop breathing in her delicious scent, but Edward was addicted to it now and he couldn't stop.

"I like living in Bear Lake, Edward. I miss my dad like crazy, but I've grown fond of the sun."

"Is that all you're fond of?"

"No – there's Alice and Jasper, and the school, and the duck pond down the street from my apartment."

Edward frowned but didn't want to push her. He was pretty sure that she was teasing him, but just in case she wasn't…

"How many kids?"

"What?"

Edward gave up on blocking his olfactory senses and just shoved his nose into her hair. "How many kids will we have?"

"We?" She squeaked and Edward only moved in closer to her body. "Um…two?"

"Two sounds perfect." He wrapped the thick coil of her hair around his hand and pulled her face up so he could stare into her eyes. "Do you want to keep working? We could have my mom watch the children."

"Edward, isn't this all a bit premature? You haven't proposed and I haven't accepted."

"Just making sure our goals line up, that's all."

"What about the band, Edward? What will Lizzie, Tony and I do while you're out on the road all year?"

"You accuse me of being premature, yet you've named the children already?"

"Edward, be serious." Bella slipped out of his grip and moved a few feet away.

"I was trying to be serious. I'm extremely serious about you and our children, Edward Junior and Edward III."

"Who are you – George Foreman? And please don't saddle me with two boys. I've been surrounded by testosterone my entire life. I need to have at least one girl."

"I don't think we'll get to choose," Edward said quietly. His heart was banging against his ribs, but he was buoyed by just discussing all this with Bella. She wouldn't tease him like this if she wasn't serious too.

"What about the band?" Bella asked again.

"Bella – they made me choose. They told me I'd have to walk if I wouldn't commit to extra rehearsals and the two holiday performances. It made me mad and a little crazy. I pushed you away because I couldn't make up my own mind. I really messed things up and I'm so sorry. I called up Shakes two days ago and I told him I was leaving the band. None of that means anything if you're not a part of my life. I'd rather teach nine year olds how to play piano than be without you."

"You left the band? Have you lost your mind?" Bella looked angry and it was a surprising reaction. He thought she'd be pleased to know that he was all hers now.

"Turns out I'm a little more necessary to the group than they wanted me to believe. Joey, Gordy, and Steve called me and begged me not to go. I explained my needs, they explained theirs, and we came to a compromise. That's the only reason I'm going back Monday night."

"Edward, you did all that for me?" Edward could hear the tremor in her voice and he knew he needed to act quickly. He'd promised that he wouldn't make her cry anymore.

"I'd do anything for you. It took me a little while to figure that out, but once I did, everything started making sense again. I don't want to be without you ever again, Bella."

Bella suddenly flung her small frame into his arms, and Edward brought her immediately up against his body. She surprised him by planting one long, chaste kiss on his lips before slipping out of his grasp and taking his hand in hers.

"Let's go inside. It's cold out here and Charlie's making hot chocolate." Edward followed her wordlessly into the house, confused but with a smile on his face.

***

The next two days passed quickly. Bella took Edward on the grand tour of Forks, which normally wouldn't have taken very long. However, Edward insisted on greeting everyone they crossed paths with. By the end of the day, the entire town had been charmed by Edward Cullen. Bella had never seen him so affable before. Very slowly, he was beginning to break through her resistance.

Even more surprising was his ability to break down Charlie's resistance as well. Bella had been afraid that her father would hold a grudge against Edward forever, but Edward had gone far above and beyond what could have ever been expected of him. He washed dishes and stacked firewood. He extracted Charlie's fishing stories out of him and listened to them raptly. He even talked baseball with Charlie, and managed not to get him riled up when they discussed the Mariners' pennant chances for the following year. Most of all, he was a perfect gentleman around Bella. He opened doors and held out chairs. He fetched and carried. He was doting, considerate and so practically perfect that Bella's heart melted a little every time he did something for her.

He was like a new, improved version of Edward: Edward2.0. He was still the same man, but better somehow. He'd always been a good listener, but now he was completely focused on her when she spoke. He continued his breakfast duties, even going so far as to have a spread of bagels, cream cheese, and fruit ready for her the day he and Charlie went fishing. When she got a paper-cut, he was there with a Band-Aid to cover it. When she stumbled walking up the front steps of the house, he was there to steady her arm until she regained her footing. Edward2.0 also laughed. Bella had never seen him laugh so much before. He told funny stories about he and Emmett as kids that had all three of them in stitches.

Best of all about Edward2.0 were the kisses. Sweet kisses, long kisses, hair kisses, tongue kisses, tender kisses, claiming kisses: he kissed her all the time. And not just as a prelude to something else. He kissed her just so she would know that he was thinking about her. So that she would know that she was treasured. So that she would know that she was wanted.

It was no surprise that by Saturday night she was ready to drag him out of town by the hair and have her wicked way with him. It had been weeks since they'd been intimate, and all his touches, looks, and kisses had turned her into a quivering, horny mess. She refused to have sex in her father's house, even if the opportunity had never presented itself. Charlie had taken a few days off work under the pretense of spending time with Bella, but Bella knew better. He was being extremely parental and she couldn't blame him. Of course, that didn't stop her and Edward from sneaking off Saturday night to spend some time alone.

Bella had Edward drive them north to Clallam Bay. She wanted to be near the water, but wasn't feeling up to dealing with whomever they might cross paths with in La Push. She just knew too many people there. His rental car was some type of SUV with 4x4 drive and a large backseat. Bella was trying not to size up the backseat too much. She'd had enough car sex to last her a lifetime and wasn't anxious to add another encounter to her list. Plus, she wasn't ready emotionally. It was a definite case of her body saying yes but her minding saying "maybe later." They found a quiet, secluded parking lot right on the bay and Edward shut off the engine so they could listen to the water lap at the pebble-strewn micro-beach that lay in front of them.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a long time. Edward held her hand and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. She enjoyed this rare moment of peace between them, but she knew it wouldn't last for long. She still had some unanswered questions.

"What happens now with the band, Edward?" She needed to know. It was the only way they could move forward. The New Year was going to bring about big changes for Edward, and if she wanted, changes for her as well. She needed to understand it all before any of that happened.

Edward turned his body so he would face her fully. He held her hand tightly, but Bella detected a faint tremor. Edward2.0 was nervous. And here she'd thought him unflappable by this point.

"Like I told you before, I was going to quit. It turns out I'm not so dispensable after all. Alders, that producer, wasn't interested in working with a quartet. And Riley Summers had already booked us for the tour, so I was necessary for that too. I won't let them bully me around again, Bella, but I still have to be a part of the group. I have to go to rehearsal. I have to go to all our gigs. I have to go to Europe."

"You make it sound like all that's a chore. I thought you enjoyed playing with your band."

"I did. I used to anyway. This is not what I expected. Bella, I just want to play. I don't care where I am or if I'm a huge success. I just want to get my music out there and have a good time doing it."

"And it's not a good time anymore?"

Edward shook his head and some of the longer strands of his hair fell across his eyes. Bella reached up and pushed the hair back, keeping her hand on the back of his head.

"What do you want to do?"

"For now, I have to keep playing with the band. After the tour...I'm thinking about quitting."

"Edward…"

"I don't want to let you down, but there's just too much about this whole thing that makes me unhappy. I hate being away from you. I hate fighting with the guys all the time. I hate not being in control of my own destiny."

"Don't make any hasty decisions Edward. You've barely had any taste of success. I don't want to see you throw something good away just because it got hard. We'll work something out. I'll miss you like crazy, but it doesn't have to mean the end for us. As for everything else, you've been with those guys for a while, right? We all have our ups and downs…you're just in a down. Things always work out for the best."

"Now you sound like Alice."

"She makes a lot of sense. Edward, I think you have the right idea. Play your gigs. Keep practicing. Go on tour. And when you come home, reevaluate. Make your decision then. Who knows? Maybe you'll love touring and never want to come home." That was actually Bella's worst fear, but she wasn't going to tell him that.

"Bella, I'll always come home to you. There's no where else I'd rather be."

Bella stared into his eyes, wanting so badly to believe what he said. Edward2.0 was a smooth talker, and she found it hard to decide what was real anymore. She was done with talking though. She wanted to explore what else Edward2.0 had improved upon.

Using the hand still wrapped around his head, she pulled his face down until it met hers. She brushed her lips against his, trying not to break eye contact, but her feelings soon overwhelmed her ability to control her body and her eyes closed shut, relishing in the feel of his lips, his tongue and his hands that had wrapped around her body.

"Backseat?" He asked against her lips several minutes later, but Bella shook her head.

"No. Not here. Not now." She continued to kiss him, probably confusing him in the process, but that wasn't what she wanted just yet from him.

He groaned in response and she felt his hands begin to roam across her body, exploring all the curves that had been neglected for so long. He gently cupped her breasts and massaged them until she was left gasping against his mouth. Bella trailed her hand down to Edward's neck and along the top of his collar, right where he was most sensitive. She felt him shudder and she smiled.

"Come home with me," he whispered against her mouth, increasing his hold on her body.

"What?" She asked trying to pull away to look into his eyes again.

"On Monday, come home with me. We'll have the rest of the week together. Alone. I have rehearsal for part of the day, but we can spend the rest of it together. And I know for a fact that Alice would love to see you. And I would be my mom's favorite son for at least a month if I brought you over for dinner."

"Edward, I don't know. What about my dad?"

"He'll understand. I need you Bella. Not just your body, though if I wake up hard one more morning I may sneak up to your room, lock the door, and hope that we don't wake your dad up. I need to see your smile. I need to hold your hand. I just need to have you near me. Come home, Bella. Come home."

He held Bella tightly against his chest and Bella felt her heart burst. She was hot and achy too, and she wasn't sure that she could turn him away if he slipped into her room one morning. She missed him more than anything, but it would break Charlie's heart if she left early.

"I don't think I can leave Charlie," she finally told him.

"Invite him home. For spring break. I'm sure he's curious about where you live. He can stay with me if he wants, I do have an extra bedroom. Or Mom and Dad would be happy to put him up. That's only a few months away. Won't that make up for leaving him early?"

Bella wanted to say yes, and badly. Edward2.0 had come so far over the past few days. Maybe Bella2.0 needed to make an appearance as well. Bella2.0 could compromise. Give and take. Ours, not mine. Meeting in the middle.

"Yes," she finally whispered into his ear. "I'll come home with you."

Charlie took the news fairly well. He blinked at them a few times, but perked up at the invitation to visit over spring break.

"I'd better come check out this apartment complex of yours, Bella. I'll check in with the local law enforcement too. Make sure they don't have their heads stuck up their butts."

Bella was pleased with his response. She had never known Charlie to venture outside the state, let alone the time zone. She had been afraid that she would never get the chance to show off her new home and school to him.

Breaking the news to Jacob was harder. Bella drove up to Port Angeles by herself Sunday afternoon to tell him. She hadn't seen him since Christmas, and he'd been upset when he left.

"It seems like we're never going to get our chance," Jacob told her after repeatedly wiping his greasy hands on an old rag. She'd cornered him in the shop right before closing and he bore all the marks of having mixed it up with a car all day long.

Bella blinked at him, wondering if he was still delusional, thinking that they were going to be something more.

"I thought we'd have more time to work on the whole friendship thing. I don't want to lose you again."

Despite the grease and the sweat, Bella wrapped her arms around her oldest friend. "You're not going to lose me. This is a new beginning. I'll call you in a few days."

She'd left with tears in her eyes but a lightness in her step that she hadn't felt in years.

Edward kept his arm around her for most of the flight. It was a redeye, so they didn't get into Bear Lake until almost 6 am local time. They took a shuttle service to Bella's apartment and collapsed into bed together, completely exhausted. Bella had never slept so well. Wrapped in her lover's arms, a soft bed beneath her and a sense of peace that seemed to have escaped her for so very long. Bella was happy.


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I still don't own Twilight.

* * *

Rachel Fitzgerald had been working for the Chicago Record for almost a year, and she loved it. She loved that no day was ever the same. She loved working with some of the most brilliant and talented journalists in the country. Most importantly, she loved the feeling she got when she found that one unique story that really connected with her readers. There was no greater feeling than reporting on a topic that actually made a difference in the community. She was vigilant about finding her hook, but she had integrity. She knew where to draw the line between news and gossip. She may have been young and just out of grad school, but she wasn't stupid.

She gnawed on the eraser of her pencil while she waited for her editor to open his door. She'd watched in fascination as J.S. Abbott had walked in ten minutes ago. It was unusual to see J.S. on her floor, let alone going into her editor's office for a tête-à-tête. J.S. worked for a different department and really had no business going into the features editor's office. Rachel bit her eraser even harder thinking about how she didn't need any more competition. It was hard enough fighting for space with the other features writers. She didn't want to have to fight with everyone that the newspaper employed.

She could see the pair of them through the glass wall of Doug's office. Doug was seated, gesturing wildly, while J.S. sat calmly in the seat opposite. Rachel was dying to know what they were talking about. Was J.S. pitching a story? It wouldn't be the first time. Rachel had thought after the stories about Cullen Academy went to print a few months ago that J.S. was done for sure. She'd never seen the managing editor so pissed off before. J.S. and Doug had both been called into his office that day, but without a glass wall for Rachel to look through, she could only guess as to what had happened during that meeting. Somehow, J.S. had not been fired after the last fiasco and was now in Doug's office yet again.

Rachel took a look at her empty coffee cup and decided that she needed a caffeine fix. It was only coincidence that the coffee pot was located right next to Doug's door. It wouldn't be snooping if she accidentally overheard some of their conversation while filling her cup.

She stood nonchalantly, tossing her chewed pencil into the flower vase she used as a pencil holder. She straightened her slim skirt and smiled at Alan as she walked past. From experience, she knew that he would be staring at her ass if she turned back around. Her cup was dirty from her earlier caffeine hit, but she wasn't going to take the chance to run to the kitchen to clean it out first. J.S. might be gone by the time she got back.

The coffee pot was empty, so Rachel was forced to brew a new one. She worked with her back to Doug's door, so her intentions wouldn't be quite so obvious. As she tore open the coffee pouch, she heard some interesting highlights through Doug's door. She waited patiently for the coffee to brew, and then walked back to her desk hoping her excitement wasn't obvious to everyone else.

She quickly jotted down some notes and tried to piece together what she'd heard. She'd gotten the gist of what J.S. wanted to do, but she wasn't entirely sure that she agreed with it. She was with J.S. to a point, but what was planned after that crossed her own lines of integrity. If Doug followed through with what had been proposed, she'd be surprised. He had almost lost his job last time.

"Fitz!" Rachel's editor, Doug Grey called out from his office. Rachel's head shot up and away from her computer screen. She felt only a mild sense of guilt for eavesdropping, but not enough for her to confess her findings to her boss.

She quickly locked her computer, grabbed her notebook and a gnawed pencil, and headed into her boss' office for her pitch. She was also anxious to see if she could dig any more information about J.S. out of him.

Once she was done discussing the story she was working on, Rachel took a moment to gauge Doug's mood. If he was in a good mood, she might be able to squeeze some more information out of him. If he was in a bad mood, she'd be lucky to get out of his office with just a sore ear drum.

"I heard from a source that Carlisle Cullen donated a significant amount to the school lunch program again this year. Anonymously of course." She watched as Doug continued to type, ignoring her comment. No bite yet. "I also heard that they're cracking down on the staff at the Cullen Academy. Making everyone attend media sensitivity training." Bingo. His eyes shot up and she saw the reaction she'd been looking for.

"We don't write on the Cullen Academy, Fitz. You know that," he told her with stark finality. His eyes raked over her face appraisingly before returning to his computer. "You've only got two hours left on that food bank story. You'd better get on it."

Rachel stood and marched back to her desk. She tapped her notebook against her leg after she sat, contemplating what she'd heard between Doug and J.S., and the lie she'd just been handed by her boss. She didn't know what they were up to, but it didn't seem good.

***

Bella woke suddenly, sitting up in bed. She wasn't fully awake, which made the blood rush to her brain from the change in position that much worse. She was confused. This room was not her room at her dad's house. It was dark, but she didn't hear any rain pelting against the window. Then it hit her: she was back in her apartment in Bear Lake. Edward, the plane, dragging their suitcases up the steps and going to bed when most people were getting ready for the day.

Her limbs were loose and she felt like she had zero control over them. She blinked at the clock and gasped at the time. It was almost 3:00 in the afternoon. She was alone in the bed, but she'd realized that as soon as she sat up. A vague memory of Edward kissing her temple, telling her he had an early practice and slipping out of bed surfaced. At least he hadn't snuck out; that would have made her angry.

Deciding that it was time to stop being lazy and get out of bed was a difficult decision. Her warm sheets and soft mattress chanted her name like a Siren. Her stomach voiced its opinion at that moment, and Bella decided maybe it would be a good idea to get up and hunt up a Pop-Tart after all.

She found a note on the kitchen table that made the whole effort of getting out of bed worth it:

I'll be at rehearsal until 6. Didn't want to wake you up. Let me take you to dinner tonight.

Love you,

Edward

He'd drawn a smiley face with googly eyes on the note as well, which cracked her up. He never used to be so sweet and silly. Edward2.0 strikes again.

A few minutes later, Bella was seated on her sofa with a cup of hot tea and one of the books that Charlie had given her for Christmas. She wanted to call Alice and let her know that she was back in town early, but she also wanted an afternoon just for herself. After living alone for several months, she'd missed the solitude of her apartment. She still didn't have a TV, but she honestly didn't miss it too much. She knew Edward would probably enjoy having one for the times that he came over.

Bella still wasn't sure about Edward though. He'd been hot and cold, up and down, off and on for the past month and she was afraid to believe that his most recent behavior wasn't just another one of his phases. For the moment, he was being the extraordinarily perfect boyfriend. Asking permission to take her out to dinner? That alone made her heart do the happy dance inside her chest. Bella had never felt so treasured before.

She wanted desperately to believe that he was serious this time. The necklace he'd given her lay warmly against her chest. When he'd given it to her, he'd seemed pretty serious. Marriage. Children. The future. Their wants were very similar. Bella's heart thumped loudly for a moment, as if it were trying to make itself heard. Bella wanted Edward, but she was still holding back. She had to, until she could decide that this wasn't just a fleeting glimpse into an unattainable paradise.

The lock turned on the front door and Bella jumped. It was still too early for Edward to be coming home, and she was dressed only in the long t-shirt she'd worn to bed.

"Hello?" She called out, looking around the room for a weapon and wishing she had Alice's taser.

"Bella?" Jessica appeared around the corner, looking confused.

"Hey!" Bella started to jump to give her a hug, but remembered what she was wearing and sat back down again. "We came back early."

"That's good news! I was just stopping by to check on your apartment. Wait…did you say 'we'?"

Bella nodded and patted the sofa next to her. "Edward showed up Christmas Eve in Forks. It was a complete surprise."

Jessica plopped down onto the sofa, curling a leg underneath her, and looking like she was settling in for a good, long chat. It was a good thing Jessica had seen her wearing a lot less during their workouts or Bella would be embarrassed by her lack of real clothes.

"Tell me everything. You obviously took him back. Wait – you guys were broken up, right?"

"Well, not really, but that doesn't matter anymore. He apologized, begged me to forgive him, promised to change his ways and then proceeded to spend the weekend charming my dad, the entire town, and me a little too." Bella was trying to play up all the good parts about their time together in Forks. Edward had decidedly not charmed Jacob Black, but Bella didn't think that was possible even in an alternate universe where she wasn't stuck in the middle.

"Aww, Bella, that's so sweet. And check out the bling!" Jessica gently tugged on Bella's necklace to better inspect the diamond. "This looks like quality too. I bet Marcus would be able to tell us what it's worth."

"I don't care about that. It would be beautiful even if it was Diamonique. You and Marcus are still doing well then I take it?"

Jessica leaned back into the cushions of the sofa with a dreamy look in her eyes. "He's so fantastic. He wants to take me to Italy this summer to meet his mother. And – oh – he thinks I should start writing again."

Bella scrunched her nose in confusion. "I didn't know you were a writer."

"Just some poetry in high school. I showed some of it to Marcus and he says I have a lot of untapped potential."

"You'll have to show me some of it too. How was your Christmas?"

Bella spent the next hour catching up with Jessica. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed her until that moment. Bella promised to meet her the next day to get back into their workout routine again.

She called Charlie as soon as Jessica left, realizing that she probably should have called him sooner. He wasn't a worrier, but Bella knew that he expected to hear from her just to assure that she'd arrived home safely. Their phone call was short. Bella teared up at the sound of his voice. She missed her dad something fierce and it was hard living so far away from him. He seemed unusually interested in some reports that he needed to write and ended their phone call quickly. Bella knew he was only using it as an excuse to not get emotional in front of the call dispatcher.

Bella spent the next hour getting ready for her dinner date with Edward. She didn't know where he was planning on taking her, so she slipped into one of her dresses, just in case.

When Edward arrived to pick her up, he was freshly showered and shaven. He wore his blue sweater, black cords and a killer grin. Bella thought she'd gone soft just from seeing him, but when he kissed her hello she nearly liquefied into a puddle on the floor.

"You went home," she said, placing her palm against his smooth cheek. She knew it wouldn't stay smooth for long. His hair grew in like a Chia pet, and she wanted to enjoy it while she could.

He seemed embarrassed at her statement. "I did. I needed some clean clothes and plus, I wanted to pick you up properly for our date."

Bella smiled and moved out of his embrace to gather her coat and purse. He was trying so hard to make things right again. She felt another one of the armored plates protecting her heart fall away.

The Italian restaurant Edward took her to was quiet, candle-lit and very intimate. Bella felt like they were seated in their own little dining area. Other than the occasional disturbance by their server, they were alone on their side of the restaurant.

Bella quickly scanned the menu and snapped it shut. "Is it wrong that I just want plain spaghetti? They have all these options, but the sauce smells so delicious." Bella sniffed the air, not for the first time since they'd been seated, and breathed in the heady aroma of tomato sauce, garlic and spices.

"I don't see anything wrong with it. They have a really good lasagna as well, but you should order what you want." Edward closed his menu and grabbed Bella's hand across the table. A short pillar candle flickered between them, casting an interesting array of shadows across Edward's face.

"You look really nice tonight," Bella whispered across the table.

"So do you," Edward whispered back, squeezing her hand.

Their server, Heidi, suddenly appeared with pen and pad at the ready. "Are you ready to order?"

Bella ordered first, still leaning across the table and holding Edward's hand. She felt awkward being caught in such a position, but it didn't faze Edward at all. He barely looked at Heidi when he ordered his meal. He smiled at Bella the whole time, rubbing his thumb over her knuckle.

Bella laughed as soon as Heidi was gone. "Are you just going to stare at me all night?" His eyes hadn't left her face since they sat down and it was making her self-conscious.

"I had plans to do other things as well," Edward whispered.

Bella was instantly sucked into the promise behind Edward's voice. "Like what?" She whispered back.

Edward flipped her hand over and gently traced along the lines of her palm with his finger. His finger was large and rough, but he touched her gently, hesitantly, as if it were the first time he'd ever touched her. The sensation sent tingles up Bella's arm and through the rest of her body. She'd never known her palm to be so sensitive.

"I want to touch you," Edward said at last, tracing the veins of her wrist and sending more tingles up her arm. He gently pulled her arm across the small table and pulled her wrist up to meet his mouth, placing a kiss at her pulse point. "I want to kiss you."

Bella sighed as his lips puckered at her wrist again, leaving behind a damp heat. Edward kissed up the fleshy part of her palm to the base of her thumb. He gently nipped her skin and then sucked it to soothe away the pinch. "I want to taste you," he told her before placing another kiss on her palm.

Bella could only stare at him. The tingles that had begun in her palm coursed through her body, heating every inch of her skin in their wake. Edward stared right back, and Bella wondered if he knew the effect he had on her body. He smiled then, and Bella recognized the gleam in his eyes. He knew, he definitely knew.

Their server chose that moment to deliver their bread basket, which they both ignored. Bella used it as an excuse to reclaim her hand though. She wouldn't last through dinner if he kept touching her like that.

"How was band practice?" She asked, in a further attempt to regain her wits. She knew the band would continue to be a sore spot between them, but she was determined to prove that she didn't care how much time he spent with the guys. If it was important to Edward, then it was important to her. Edward needed that concept drilled home.

"It wasn't too bad actually," he said after taking a sip of his water. "I think we all benefited from having the time apart. We're more than ready for our gig this weekend, so we're working on some stuff for the tour mostly."

Bella cringed at the thought of the tour. She knew it was approaching quickly now, but up until that moment, it had only been an idea in her head. Edward's words only reminded her that it was something real and tangible and it would have to be dealt with.

"Are you looking forward to it?" She asked, trying not to let her apprehension show. "Honestly," she added. She didn't want him telling her what he thought she wanted to hear.

Edward sighed and rubbed his forehead. "In some ways, yes. It will be exciting and new and different but I wish I didn't have to leave you behind."

Bella nodded and looked down at the table. A teeny, tiny part of her wanted him to say that he wasn't excited about it and he just wanted to stay home with her. She would never ask him to do that, but she couldn't help wishing that he wouldn't be gone for so long.

She suddenly remembered something that had been bothering her. "Emmett mentioned a few weeks ago that you took off the whole month of February from school. I thought the tour was only two weeks?"

Edward's face pinched and he looked uncomfortable again. "I did take off the whole month. Riley thought he might be able to book us some more dates towards the end of the month."

"Oh, well, that's good, right?" Bella asked encouragingly.

"It is. The more exposure we get the better. We could be the next David Hasselhoff." Edward chuckled as he glanced nervously around the near empty room.

"What else? Just tell me," Bella said after his eyes continued to shift around the room.

Edward sighed and pushed his hair back off his face. "In college, Seth and I started writing a piano concerto. It wasn't very good, but I used it as my audition piece for grad school so I guess it was good enough. Anyway, we've improved it in bits and pieces over the years. He sent it to a friend of his who lives in London, and he loved it and he wants to record it."

"Edward, that's terrific!" Bella sat up at his news and practically bounced in her seat.

"Yeah, it is. Seth is heading over the first week of February to finish fine tuning the piece and to be part of the whole process, and he wants me to go too." He looked her straight in the eye and Bella felt a familiar quiver of fear on her spine. How long would she worry that every time he delivered a piece of bad news he'd also try to break up with her?

"Of course you should go, Edward. You can't pass up an opportunity like that! How many people get the chance to see something they've written performed and recorded? You have to be there." Bella gave him her sternest teacher look, leaving no room for argument.

Edward suddenly became very interested in his silverware setting. He unrolled the napkin and took the cutlery out piece by piece, lining them up in a straight line next to the bread plate. Bella waited patiently while he worked through his nerves.

He took a deep breath and met her inquisitive eyes straight on. "I should have told you sooner about taking off extra time from school. I'm sorry. At the time, it didn't make sense to pile that on top of everything else."

Bella snorted and rolled her eyes. "You didn't make much sense at all for a while there, Edward."

Edward smiled weakly. "I know. But I didn't want you to think that I was keeping it from you purposely. I was going to tell you, but between everything else that's happened the timing's been off. This is hard for me, Bella. I'm caught between being excited about traveling and hurting because a part of me just wants to stay home and be with you."

Bella forced a smile on to her face. She understood very well those two conflicting emotions. "I want you to be excited. And I want you to miss me. You're going to have to find a balance between the two." Secretly, Bella was still trying to find that balance herself.

"I'm going to miss you," he replied after rearranging his silverware again.

"Me too," Bella replied, "but we can talk and email and text while you're away. It's only a month. It will fly by. Plus, February only has twenty-eight days – it's much shorter than all the other months."

Edward chuckled and Bella sighed in relief. "Twenty-eight days is much shorter."

"See? I knew you could be reasonable." Bella tried to keep her face calm and relaxed. On the inside, her heart beat quickly and her stomach churned. Twenty-eight days seemed like forever.

Thankfully, their entrees arrived and Bella could distract herself with a big helping of carbs and tasty goodness. She'd have to remember where this restaurant was so she could distract herself during the month of February as well. Edward continued to hold her hand, even when they were trying to eat.

"Edward, I need my hand back so I can eat. Unless you were planning on feeding me too?" She teased after her third unsuccessful attempt to reclaim her hand.

Edward's eyes darkened and he smiled wickedly. "I think I can work that into my plans for later."

He released her hand and Bella took a small sip of water to help cool down the fire that Edward was doing his best to stoke. Her hand continued to tingle, a heady reminder of his promises from earlier.

As they exited the restaurant, Edward pulled her into his body, engulfing her in his leather jacket as he wrapped it around her for warmth and privacy. "How do you feel about dessert?" He purred into her ear, kissing along the outer edge.

Bella shivered but not from the cold. She was ready for this now. It had been so long…

"I love dessert. I hope it involves some naked body parts though," she told him quietly and with a big smile.

Edward barked out a laugh and hurried them into his car. The ride to his house was quiet, but Bella's body spoke quite loudly. She didn't chance a look at Edward until they were at his house and he was helping her out of the car.

He unlocked his front door, ushered her in, and reset the alarm within seconds. The front hallway was dark and neither of them moved to turn the lights on. Bella wrapped her arms around Edward's neck and pressed her body against his. She smiled contentedly when she felt his erection press into her hip.

"Mmmmm, Edward, I like your version of dessert," she whispered into his ear as she nibbled on the lobe.

His hands dug into her hips as he pulled her impossibly closer. "I actually do have dessert. Alice stopped by earlier with a pie; I think she was hoping to find you here and steal you away for some girl time."

Bella's mouth stilled against his neck. "You saw Alice? I'm surprised she didn't hunt me down." Bella was looking forward to seeing her friend. They had a lot to talk about.

"I made her promise to give you one day at home with me before she kidnapped you. But she'll be by in the morning to pick you up." Edward slowly undid the buttons on her coat and helped her out of it.

"What kind of pie is it?" Bella asked as she pushed Edward's coat off his shoulders. She handed it to him and he hung it next to hers on the rack.

In the darkness of the hallway, Edward's eyes seemed to gleam. He started at her with a ferocious intensity that made her knees weak. "Peach," he answered finally. For whatever reason, that one hard syllable turned her on more than anything else he'd done. Maybe it was the way his lips puckered around the "P", or maybe it was the way his mouth closed around the rest of the word, sucking it in like he was trying to savor it. Either way, Bella needed a moment alone to gather her thoughts before she tore his clothes off and rode him hard.

"I'll meet you in the kitchen," she said, trailing a finger along Edward's jaw before slipping out of his embrace and towards the powder room. She heard his exasperated sigh just before the door clicked shut. She knew exactly how he felt.

***

Edward pulled the pie out of the fridge and examined the directions taped to the aluminum foil lid. Jasper insisted that it had to be re-heated in the oven, and then served with a single scoop of vanilla ice cream. Edward couldn't see the difference between the oven and the microwave, but that was probably why Jasper was a good cook and Edward was not.

He turned the oven on to the recommended temperature, removed the foil and stuck the pie plate on the top shelf. He hoped like hell he wasn't going to burn it. If this went well, maybe he could try his hand at cooking other things too. Bella had been surprised when he'd cooked her breakfast Christmas morning. He'd like to do more things like that for her.

He stuck his head out into the living room to look for Bella, but the light was still on in the bathroom. He opened the freezer and pulled out the carton of ice cream that had arrived with the pie. Alice swore that the pie was good, but when served with a scoop of ice cream on top it was heavenly.

He took a seat at the table and stared out the window to the darkened back yard. He hadn't bothered to turn on the light so it was easy to watch the moonlight filter through the clouds and reflect off the small patches of snow that covered the ground. He'd be glad when winter was over. He'd lived in the north all his life, but sometimes you just wanted to be warm without wearing three layers of clothes.

The oven made a clicking sound and Edward jumped up to check the progress on the pie. Apparently, it was already cooked and it just needed to be warmed up. He wasn't sure how he would know it was done though; Jasper's directions hadn't been that thorough. He could ask for Bella's help, but again, he wanted to show her that he was capable of many things. He pulled the door wide open and pulled the rack out with his rarely used oven mitts. He stuck his finger into the middle of the pie plate, but was disappointed to find that it was still cold in the center. He frowned as he pushed the rack back in the oven. Maybe he should turn the temperature up to make it warm up faster?

A small set of hands on his ass distracted him from any more thoughts about the pie. He froze in place, afraid of scaring her off but wanting to be very sure that she knew exactly what she was starting. Her hands slid into his back pockets and she squeezed his flesh invitingly. Bella definitely knew what she was starting. Edward slowly straightened and placed his hands on either side of the warm stovetop. He hung his head slightly, breathing in through his nose in order to calm his body. He'd gone hard the instant she'd touched him.

"I thought you wanted dessert," he told her, gripping the edge of the counter hard. He was trying to count backwards from 100 in his head, in French, but Bella had decided that his back smelled good. Her nose skimmed along his sweater over the ridge of his spine and Edward swore he felt an answering tingle along the length of his cock.

"I do," Bella told him as she slipped her hands off his butt and pushed them underneath his sweater. Her cool, small hands circled his back before they slipped down across his waist, over his hip bones and across his abdomen. He felt her hot breath against his back while her fingers danced and teased. She lightly tugged at his hair there and Edward clenched in anticipation. He was seconds away from pushing her hands down the front of his pants so he could feel them wrapped around his cock. He felt tight and twitchy and knew that they wouldn't make it up to his room in time. They hadn't had sex in weeks and Edward was slightly afraid that he would blow before they could even get the necessary parts aligned.

He turned around quickly and pulled her hard against his body. His jaw clenched when she gasped loudly. He arched his hips against her body, allowing her to feel his arousal. In return, Bella rubbed against him, and Edward felt her tight nipples and heat even through the layers of clothing that separated them. Edward growled, he fucking growled; it was deep and quiet but Bella groaned in response and only pressed harder against his body.

Bella placed both her palms on his face and pulled his mouth down for a kiss that told him just how ready she was for him. She licked her way down his chin, over his Adam's apple and to the side of his neck, where he was most sensitive. Edward had just slid his hands over the mound of her ass when he felt a tiny nibble on his neck. The tiny nibble grew into a big nibble as Bella used her teeth to bite at his neck.

Edward's control finally snapped. He yanked up the hem of her dress, wishing that he could be more patient and enjoy the silken skin of her thighs against his fingertips. But Edward only had one thought and that was to get inside of her.

Bella kissed her way back to his lips, and they continued to suck and nip while they fought to remove the pieces of fabric that were in their way. She'd already removed her stockings, leaving only her underwear to yank down her legs and toss across the room. Her breasts called to him next but he didn't want to wait while he figured out how to untie the complicated contraption that covered her body. He felt a cool breeze hit his thighs as Bella wrenched his pants and boxers down. His lips left hers for only a moment as he stumbled trying to kick off his shoes and everything else all at once, but once he was free he turned his attention back to Bella.

The flush of her arousal spread across her exposed breastbone and tinted her cheeks. Neither of them spoke, only their harsh breaths filled the silent room. Edward quickly looked around the room for someplace comfortable, and decided that the table would be the best bet. He picked Bella up and grunted in satisfaction when her legs wrapped around his waist, bringing her heated sex against his cock. He sat her down on the table top and stepped more fully into the cradle of her thighs.

"Bella," he whispered, as his erection rubbed against her slick heat, "is this ok?" It would kill him, but he'd move them out to the sofa if he had to. He just needed to be inside of her first…

"Please, Edward, I need you," she told him, straining to get even closer. She pulled his head down and nipped at his lips gently. Edward felt his heart constrict at the juxtaposition of her gentle kisses and her hips that were desperately slamming against his sex. He loved this woman and all her inconsistencies.

Edward closed his eyes briefly, the image of her body in front of him imprinted on his eyeballs. She was like a fucking five-course meal spread out and waiting to be tasted. She'd placed her hands flat on the table behind her. Her body was arched, shoving her breasts up at him as if she were offering them to him on a platter. Her thighs were spread wide and her dress was hiked above her waist, exposing her glistening folds to him in all their glory. When he opened his eyes, Bella was staring at him, and she looked like a woman possessed. Her eyes were dark and unfocused, her chest rose and fell with each shallow breath she took, and her lips were slightly parted. She needed him just as much as he needed her.

Edward covered Bella's mouth with his, breathing into her as he positioned his cock at her entrance and slid inside. Bella moaned as he filled her and Edward felt his body come alive as he joined their bodies completely.

The table wobbled as he felt Bella wiggle around his cock. He pulled back out slowly, wondering what she was up to, but groaned when he realized she was only changing position. Her feet were propped on the support bar that ran along the table's edge and her hips balanced precariously on the edge of the table.

Growling again, Edward sank into her warm depths over and over. Her body sucked him in and squeezed every time he pushed in. Holy fuck, he'd missed her so much. He couldn't believe that he'd actually gotten her back. All the emotions that he'd been pushing aside bubbled up and seemed to seep out of all his pores.

The tips of her breasts called to him through the thin material of her dress. He leaned down and sucked one into his mouth. The silk of her dress was quickly dampened and Edward liked the way it rasped against his tongue as it circled her hardened nipple. Bella arched more fully into his mouth and called his name. Just hearing his name on her lips almost pushed Edward to the edge. His balls were tight and he wasn't going to last much longer. He released her breast and leaned over her body, staring into her eyes as he neared his orgasm.

"Come, Bella, come with me," he chanted as his thrusts came quicker. She moaned again and Edward knew she was close. Fuck, he was closer. He emptied himself into her over and over, feeling as if his balls were being sucked back into his body. He slipped out of her, but Bella wasn't done yet. Her hips continued to strain against the table and she gripped the edges by her fingernails.

As soon as Edward came back into his body, he knelt before the flushed beauty spread before him. He would never be able to look at the kitchen table the same way again. Her body was wet from their mating and she smelled of their combined passion. Edward's cock twitched in appreciation as he leaned in and licked up her slit.

Bella wailed and grabbed a handful of his hair in her hand. Edward held her hips in his hands and sank his mouth into her sex. She tasted of the sweetest nectar and Edward never wanted to stop tasting her. Her clit was swollen and when he flicked his tongue against it, she wailed again. He could tell that she was on that dangerous edge of explosion and frustration. He knew which way they both wanted her to go.

"Shh….just relax. Let it come. Don't fight." He slowed the rhythm of his tongue and lazily explored her folds. Her entire sex was swollen and red now, and Edward knew her orgasm was begging to be released. He also knew that patience would reward her more now than anything else and he continued to take his time tasting her body.

The moment her shoulders relaxed, Edward knew that she was ready. He fastened his mouth around her clit and sucked on it like it was a small piece of candy. She arched against his face and Edward slipped two of his fingers into her vagina, applying pressure up and against her sweet spot.

Bella came with a scream, his name being called to the heavens. She nearly pulled out a good chunk of his hair, but it was worth the threat of baldness to see her orgasm. She bucked against his face wildly and Edward sucked and licked at her body until she rode the torrent out. Bella fell back to the table with a thump and Edward's heart swelled at the sight of her. He'd just taken her against his kitchen table, emptied his seed into her and eaten the hell out of her pussy. And all he could think about was doing it all over again. His cock twitched its approval of that idea.

Edward gently picked Bella up and carried her up the stairs and into his bedroom. He pulled back the covers and undressed his boneless lover. He felt no small amount of pride for having such an effect on her. He tucked her in between the sheets and watched as she snuggled in and promptly fell asleep. Edward quietly slipped downstairs to turn off the oven and figure out what to do with his peach pie.


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: Nope, I checked and I don't own Twilight.

* * *

Bella woke early the next morning, feeling as if she'd forgotten something. Edward's room was dark and she could hear his soft snores beside her. She closed her eyes, trying to go back to sleep, but her mind was running a marathon. Images of the night before passed through her brain at lightning speed and it was dizzying trying to keep up. She still had a nagging feeling like she was supposed to be doing something. She went back over her day and recalled with a start that she'd made plans with Jessica.

Bella sat up and groaned when she looked at the time. She was supposed to meet Jessica in 30 minutes. Edward sensed her movement and tried to pull her naked body back alongside his.

"Whatcha doing?" He asked her groggily.

"I'm supposed to meet Jessica at the gym in half an hour. Can you drive me over there?" She whispered in return. She felt as if she would cause a major disturbance if she spoke any louder.

Edward groaned and tried unsuccessfully to get her to lie down again. "It's too early."

Bella smiled at his reluctance to get out of bed. He was usually so happy first thing in the morning. They didn't get much sleep the night before, so that might have something to do with his reluctance.

"Can I borrow your car then?" She asked, managing to smirk in the process. She had yet to drive his car and knew that he would rather get up than let her borrow it.

"I'll drive you. Give me ten minutes." Bella watched Edward climb out of bed and shuffle into the bathroom, rubbing his eyes along the way. She knew just how he felt.

Her next obstacle was finding something other than her dress to wear home. She really needed to start keeping some spare clothes at his house for moments such as this. Fortunately, she discovered her Forks High School sweatpants stuffed into the corner of his drawer. She dug out Edward's Cullen Academy band t-shirt, pulled her hair back off her face and slipped downstairs to use the other bathroom.

Edward soon followed and Bella smiled at his wakeful state. "You look like you had a rough night, Edward. Maybe you need a soak in your tub to make everything all better." Bella had been eyeing his bathtub for months but they'd never made good use of it. She was itching to try it out and soon.

Edward kissed her hard just before she could open the front door and make her escape. "Don't start something you can't finish. You have no idea how much the thought of you in my tub turns me on."

"Who says I can't finish it? I'll be back in a few hours, and I'll need a good soak myself by then," Bella told him.

"I'll probably be gone by the time you get back," Edward groaned, sounding a little frustrated.

"Another time then," Bella responded cheekily. What was the fun in having a boyfriend if you couldn't tease him into a horny, silly mess of testosterone?

Edward closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were clear of the lust that had seared her moments before. "Come on. I don't want you to be late."

He dropped her off at her building with a kiss and a promise to be home by 6. Bella hurried to the fitness center and found Jessica already on the treadmill. She smiled at Bella's entrance and Bella blew out a breath in relief. She wasn't so late after all.

"I tried knocking on your door ten minutes ago, but there was no answer. I didn't want to let myself in and disturb anything." Jessica winked at her.

Bella stretched for a few minutes before climbing onto the treadmill next to Jessica's. "We were at Edward's last night."

Bella kept her speed at a slow, steady pace. She was trying for five miles this morning, but she didn't know if she'd make it. It had been weeks since she'd been in the fitness center.

"I wish I had the holidays and summers off. Think of all the time I could spend with Marcus." Jessica had that dreamy look in her eyes again, and it wasn't a look that Bella was used to seeing from her.

"You're serious about him, aren't you?"

Jessica rolled her eyes as if Bella had asked the dumbest question ever. "Bella, he's taking me to meet his mother. I fully expect to come back engaged from this trip. I'm thinking a spring wedding next year would be nice."

Bella didn't know Marcus very well, so she wasn't sure how much faith she could put behind Jessica's insistence that he was going to propose. "Just, be careful, ok? I don't want to see you get hurt."

"He already asked me what kind of ring I would like. You worry too much, Bella. Besides, you'll probably be getting married yourself soon."

Bella gripped the bars of the treadmill a little tighter at that statement. "I'm not so sure about that. We still have a lot to work out."

"Morning ladies!" A voice boomed out from behind them. Bella and Jessica turned at the same time and smiled at the face that greeted them.

"Morning, Jack," Jessica called out in greeting.

"Morning," Bella replied, watching the older man make his way through the equipment towards the dumbbells.

"Bella – you're back! Did you have a good vacation?"

Bella was a little surprised at Jack's verbosity. They rarely spoke but he seemed to be extra chatty this morning. It would have been rude for her to ignore him though, just because he was acting unusually friendly.

"I did, thank you. How was your Christmas?" Bella checked the machine, and she had four miles left to go. She really hoped she could find the energy to meet her goal.

"Excellent, thank you. Well, I'll leave you girls to it." Jack put his earbuds in and started his own warm-up, leaving Bella and Jessica to their own conversation again.

"He's extra friendly this morning," Bella commented in a whisper. She didn't think he could hear her with his i-pod on, but you never knew.

Jessica shot her a knowing smile. "I think he missed you. He kept asking me when you'd be back. If things don't work out with Edward, you'd have no problem charming Jack."

"Yeah, that would be perfect. I can picture my dad's face when I introduce him to my new boyfriend, who's at least ten years older than he is."

"Love is ageless, Bella. Marcus is fifteen years older than me, but we're soul mates."

Bella tried really hard not to roll her eyes at Jessica's heartfelt statement. She was completely besotted with Marcus, and Bella was happy for her. It was just difficult to reconcile Jessica's man-hungry behavior of a few months ago with the love-sick fool next to her now.

An hour later, Bella was exhausted. She waved goodbye to Jessica and Jack and headed to her apartment to shower and change.

Her phone rang as she was towel-drying her hair. A quick glance told Bella that she didn't recognize the number, but she answered it anyway.

"Bella? Oh, I was expecting to get your voice mail. Are you back in town already?"

Bella didn't recognize the voice either, but the man on the other end of the line seemed to know a lot about her. "Who is this?"

"It's Josh, from Scrabble club?" Bella could hear him chuckling on the other end.

"Oh, hi Josh. Sorry, I didn't recognize your voice."

"That's ok. I actually thought you were still out of town and I was just going to leave you a message, but I'm glad I caught you. The club's going to happy hour Friday night and I just wanted to invite you along. I thought you'd be out of town still, but I didn't want you to feel left out. But, now that you're home, maybe you can come."

Bella hadn't been to Scrabble club for weeks. She'd missed the group, but didn't know what Edward's plans were for the rest of the week. He had his gig Saturday night so maybe…

"I'll have to check my calendar, but I might be able to make it. Thanks for letting me know!"

Josh gave her the details and Bella jotted them down so she wouldn't forget. She didn't think that she could convince Edward to go with her, he was probably still holding a grudge against Josh because of where he worked, but maybe Alice would want to go.

***

Alice was outraged when she discovered that Bella hadn't tried Chicago-style pizza yet. "What is wrong with Edward? That should have been your first date. You can't even pretend to call yourself a local without having tried Giordano's."

Bella smiled dreamily as she recalled what they had done on their first date instead. "I'd say we had a perfect first date, Alice."

Alice huffed as she pulled her car onto Route 12 and headed towards Lake Zurich. "It was pretty perfect. But that was months ago. He's had plenty of time to feed you some real pizza since then."

Bella wanted to argue that she'd had pizza before, but the set of Alice's chin was fierce and determined. She could only hope that she'd be able to tell the difference between "real pizza" and Forks' own Pacific Pizza version.

Bella didn't have to worry. Once their pie was finally delivered to their table, the difference was obvious.

"This is like a casserole. I've never seen pizza so thick and gooey and messy before." The pizza she'd grown up with had been basic: thin crust, sauce, cheese, pepperoni. Bella stared down the pizza as if it were an adversary to be defeated. She would eat this pizza, and she would like it.

Three slices later, Bella was ready to wave the white flag. "Why did you let me eat so much? Ugh, I don't think I can walk anymore," Bella groaned as she rubbed her stomach. She was having a serious case of eater's remorse.

Alice wiped the sauce off her chin as she polished off her fourth slice. "You have to admit, I was right about the pizza though, right?"

"You were right about the pizza. It was delicious. I don't think I'll feel like eating anything at the Cullens' party tonight though. And forget about swimming. I feel so yucky." Bella wondered if the restaurant kept a medical professional on-site in case of accidental pizza overdoses.

"Uh-uh. The swimming pool is mandatory tonight. And don't worry about the food. Carlisle and Esme have this party catered, and it's never as good as Esme's cooking. I just saved you from scallops, tiny sausages, and bacon-wrapped delicacies that would have sat in your stomach for days. You'll thank me later." Alice signaled their waiter for some more water while Bella continued to moan and rub her stomach.

"Now that I've plied you with pizza, it's time to spill. Jacob. You. Edward. Sounds like the beginning of a Telemundo script. What happened?" Alice sat back in the booth and spread her arms across the back of the seat. Bella managed a smile at her attempt to weasel information out of her.

Bella wiggled around on her side of the booth, trying to get comfortable against the red faux-leather. "Seeing Jacob again was not how I had imagined it would be. I was afraid that I'd take one look at him and just be reminded of how much I loved him and wanted to be with him."

Alice smirked. "It wasn't like that."

Bella shook her head. "It wasn't like that. He was waiting for me at the airport, you know?" Alice nodded – Bella had already told her that part. "When I saw him, it was just like seeing a family member there waiting for me. I'd missed him of course, but I just wanted to hug him and hear about everything I'd missed for the past couple months. I didn't think about how good he looked in his shirt, or how he'd cut his hair a different way, or worried about how many women he'd been with in the past week. I didn't care about any of that. And that was the first time in years I hadn't had any of those thoughts about him. It was a relief."

"That's the power of the GROJP," Alice commented with confidence.

"It was a good plan." Bella sipped her glass of water while she relived that first day in Forks in her mind. "It was strange though. While I had pulled back and not entertained any thoughts of how things could be different between us, Jacob was the exact opposite. He touched me every chance he got. He stared at me constantly and, oh hell Alice, he kissed me."

"What?!?" Alice shouted, causing more than one Giordano's customer to look their way in disapproval. Alice frowned back at them and leaned in towards Bella across the table. "You didn't tell me that," she whispered, which was still a notch or two higher than it should have been.

Bella took a moment to examine Alice's expression. Next to Edward, Alice's reaction to this piece of news was of most interest to her. Alice knew just about everything there was to know about Jacob. Edward had been angry then accepting to some degree. But, Alice's disapproval would make her feel just as bad had Edward been any more upset than he had. Fortunately, Alice only seemed curious. Her face lacked the harsh lines of disapproval that Bella had feared.

"I didn't tell you because I had to tell Edward first, and then it seemed like a better conversation to have in person rather than over the phone. Anyway, he kissed me and for a moment, I was afraid that I was going to give in to him. Just let Jacob take control and explore whatever had possessed him to finally be interested in me like that." Bella had known exactly where that exploration would have led – and it would have ended disastrously.

Alice shook her head in disbelief. "See? I told you it was like a soap opera. So, obviously you stopped the kiss. But, you talked to him about everything, right? You two are cool now?"

"Yeah, we're cool." Bella laughed at Alice's vernacular. "We cleared the air and in the end, both realized that we're not what the other needs. Then Edward showed up, they circled each other for a while, and they snuck off to the woods to do whatever it is that boys do when feel like peeing on their women. I caught the tail-end of their conversation, and Edward told Jacob that he's going to marry me and that Jacob had better stay out of his way. I'd never seen anything like it, Alice." Bella would have been touched at Edward's desire to protect her if he hadn't been trying to keep her oldest friend away from her at the same time.

"Shit, I feel like I should be eating popcorn and drinking a soda after hearing all that. It has the making of a summer blockbuster!"

"After all that pizza we just consumed? Gross." Bella was just beginning to feel like she wouldn't puke at any moment. It was a vast improvement.

"So, I've seen the necklace – did he propose and you haven't told me yet? Because, honestly, I'm not sure that I could forgive you if you've been hiding news that big from me. I expect a phone call within two hours of any and all proposals. It's in the best friend's handbook," Alice told her with absolute sincerity.

Bella leaned across the table and patted her hand. "I may not have a copy of the handbook, but even I know better than to withhold such information from you. There has not been a proposal, but he did make a declaration of sorts. And, he talked to my dad about his 'intentions.'" Bella's voice deepened as she mimicked Edward's. "I just don't know what to make of it. We've got so much going on right now, an engagement is the last thing we need to be throwing into the mix." Plus, Bella still wasn't completely sold on Edward2.0. He was a good model, but what if 1.0 came back, or worse, version 2.5 was released early without all the bugs being worked out first? Having so many Edwardly possibilities was confusing.

"It doesn't have to be as complicated as all that. You'll know when you're ready, Bella. And I have a feeling that Edward will know when you're ready too. He loves you. He knows how good you are for him. He would wait forever for you." Alice's eyes shown as she spoke, and Bella took her rare display of emotion into her heart. Alice was a romantic deep down, and Bella hoped that she and Edward would have the easy, confident relationship that she and Jasper had.

"Somehow, you always make me feel better Alice."

"That's why your dad sends me $50 each month. Hey, would mind telling him the next time you talk to him that this month's payment is late? I saw a cute pair of shoes at DSW the other day…"

"You're hilarious," Bella laughed and felt more care-free than she had in days. It was amazing what a good conversation with a good friend could produce.


	30. Chapter 30

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight.

* * *

Edward was looking forward to spending New Year's Eve with Bella. He almost wished that it was just the two of them, a bottle of champagne, and the scrapbook they were working on together of their holiday in Forks. Edward never thought he'd be excited about making something as girly as a scrapbook, but there was something about gluing, cutting and stamping with Bella that made it a hell more fun that it should have been. They'd only worked on the one page together so far, the one with Bella opening her presents, but he was proud of what they'd done.

Instead, they would be spending the evening with his family and twenty of their friends. He was sure there would be a few other couples there closer to their age, but not anyone that he considered a friend. He was definitely looking forward to the part when they could sneak away to the swimming pool.

He finished knotting his black tie, the one that Emmett told him make him look like a reject from Pulp Fiction, and fantasized about what kind of bathing suit Bella would have. He hoped like hell it was a bikini, but she'd look hot no matter what she wore. Or even if she chose not to wear anything at all. Edward's hands stilled on the tie as he imagined them skinny dipping in the pool. He'd have to think of some way to get rid of the others first…

His fantasy was interrupted by a pair of small hands sliding across his shoulder. "You look great," Bella said as she bumped him to the side of the vanity with her hip. He caught her eyes in the mirror, and they traveled the length of his body, slowly. Bella leaned into to apply her lipstick. When she was done she blew him a kiss and said, "I hope we don't have to play with the grown-ups for too long because looking like that, I won't be able to keep my hands off you." With a flick of her hair, she was gone, leaving Edward behind with his instant erection.

He followed after her, the red fabric of her dress floating behind her in the way a red flag would wave at a bull. Edward could empathize with the bull; Bella was a temptation, but thankfully there was no matador waiting on the other side of the red fabric to slay him. He followed her back into his bedroom, keeping his distance as he watched her put her jewelry back on. She sat down on the bed to put her shoes on, and Edward smiled. Here they were, a man and a woman, loving one another and sharing the small things that all couples do. He'd never experienced anything like this before, and he knew it wouldn't have been possible with anyone other than Bella. She made him want to be the kind of man that could enjoy the quiet moments with her.

She stood and stalked towards him, her red dress flowing behind her again. Edward wanted to thank whoever had made that dress because it was absolutely perfect for Bella. The color made her pale skin glow, the neckline exposed a tantalizing amount of her breasts and the tie at her waist only enhanced her dainty voluptuousness. Edward had never given a fuck about girls' clothes before, but he felt like he could write a whole essay on Bella's red dress.

Edward blinked and Bella was pressed up against his body, her arms around his neck and the edge of her dress mingling between his legs. "Are you ready to go?" She asked, her voice somehow smooth and raspy all at the same time.

Edward ran his hands along her back, right where the edge of her dress met the bare skin of her back. "I'd rather stay here with you," he whispered right before he placed a kiss on her jaw.

"Mmmm…" Bella hummed. She played with the hair along his neck and Edward knew they had to leave immediately or they wouldn't at all. He took a step back and grabbed her elbows gently to keep her hands away from his body.

"I'll grab our bags. Mom said we could stay in the yellow room tonight. I think you'll like it. The bed is much bigger than the one in my old bedroom." Edward released her altogether and quickly gathered their things. He followed Bella down the steps, helped her with her coat, and then out to the car.

Once they were safely inside and the heater had kicked in, Bella brought up the one point he knew had been bothering her. "Are you sure they don't mind us sharing a room? My dad would have flipped if we'd tried that at his house."

Edward turned down the radio so they could talk. "Different houses, different rules. My parents realize that we're adults and trying to separate us is ridiculous at this point. It's fine. Besides, my mom would think something was wrong if we tried to sleep in different rooms. She hasn't quite forgiven me yet, so she's doing everything in her power to make sure I don't mess up again. She really likes you, Bella." Edward reached across the seats and grabbed her hand. Her fingers were like ice so Edward turned up the heat to warm her up faster.

"I like your parents too. I've just never been in this situation before. It's awkward."

"I'll just have to keep you busy the whole time so you don't feel awkward."

She turned and smiled then, and Edward felt his chest squeeze at the sight. She was so beautiful, and somehow she was his.

"Are we going to play cards all night? Or do you plan on reciting poetry to me to keep my mind off other things?"

"I have a few things in mind," Edward replied, gripping the steering wheel as he pictured her naked in the pool again.

"It's going to be a long night, isn't it?" Bella laughed and Edward felt his body relax again. It was amazing how he could go from tight and primed to easy and comfortable, just because of Bella.

The circular drive of his parents' home was completely filled with Mercedes, BMWs, Porsches, and the other usual luxury vehicles that their friends drove. Edward pulled onto the side lawn next to Jasper's truck and cut the engine. He was glad Alice and Jasper were there already. He couldn't imagine making small talk for an hour about the stock market or the annual save-the-orphans charity event that his mom co-chaired.

Edward hopped out of the car and ran around to open Bella's door for her. She smiled sweetly at him as he helped her out and he tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow once they were clear of the car door. He would come back later for their bags. For now, he just wanted to enjoy Bella's proximity. Sometimes he felt like he was making up for those two weeks that they were apart by touching her as much as possible. The truth was that he had always enjoyed touching her. Her hand, her arm, her face, it didn't matter where just so long as he could feel the silky smoothness of her skin under his fingertips. Edward was just able to appreciate the ability to touch her all that he wanted that much more now. He'd been afraid for a while that he'd never be allowed to touch her again.

The party was in full swing when they let themselves in the front door. Well, as swinging as his parents and their friends could get. The living room was crowded with people standing around, holding drinks and small napkins with bite-sized food perched upon them. Light muzak played in the background and the chatter of all the guests was hardly what one would call a dull roar. The polite people of society knew how to use their inside voices.

"Bella!" His mother's voice cried as she hurried over to greet them. Actually, greet Bella would be more accurate. Edward was handed Bella's coat and he watched in amusement as his mother wrapped a welcoming arm around her waist and pulled her off into the direction of the picture room. There went his plans for keeping Bella by his side all night. He handed their coats to the man waiting patiently by the door to collect them, then went in search of his brother.

He found Emmett and Jasper in quiet conversation by the bar. "How's it going?" Edward asked as he ordered himself a beer. He hadn't seen any of his family since before the holidays and it surprised him to discover that he'd actually missed them. Maybe his perception was off since his self-induced exile, but he couldn't remember the last time he'd missed his family. "It's good to see you man," he told Emmett, smacking him on the back.

"Same here, little bro. You're just in time. Would you please explain to Jasper here why Christian Bale is not the best Batman of all time? Keaton clearly understood the complexities of the role better." Emmett's diatribe might have seemed odd to anyone who didn't know him. He was a complete nut about comic books and took the movie franchises way more seriously than any grown man should. But, Edward knew how he was expected to answer on this debate. He decided to answer with the truth instead.

"Bale is the better actor. His fake growling aside, his performance had nuances and depth that put all the other Bats in the minor leagues." Edward laughed when Emmett's face grew into a mask of disbelief.

"When did you start blowing Bale? You used to have a mouthful of Keaton all the time." Emmett plunked his beer down on a passing tray and snatched another in one fluid motion. Edward grinned in delight. Parties were always so much more entertaining when Emmett let loose.

"I got tired of seeing you hump his naked ass all the time," Edward replied. Jasper laughed in that silent, weird way of his. "What did the two of you do with your wives and how soon can we hit the pool?"

"Alice and Rose snuck off with your mom as soon as we got here. We should gather up some grub if we're going to sneak off," Jasper said as he drained the last of his beer. His eyes lit up a moment later when he took a look at Edward's shirt. "Holy shit, Cullen, you're wearing cufflinks!"

Edward sighed in defeat. He'd known he wouldn't be able to get away without anyone seeing them. He felt like a pompous ass wearing cufflinks to a non-formal party, but he'd done it for Bella's benefit. Her eyes had sparkled as she'd help him put them on and he'd do anything to see any part of her body sparkle.

"Bella's Christmas present. She says they belonged to Miles Davis." He tugged the sleeves of his jacket down, trying not to draw any more attention to them.

"Edward, don't be a tool. If she gave you a gift, especially one that she put some time and thought into, then you need to show it off. Get over here." Emmett gave his arm a yank and he pushed his sleeve back up to get a closer look. They were nice cufflinks, silver with a trumpet and the letters MDD etched onto the surface. It had been a thoughtful gift; Bella know how much he liked Miles. He just didn't usually wear cufflinks. He'd been forced to go to his dad's favorite clothing store in the city to find the right kind of shirt to wear with them.

"That's a nice present, Edward. You shouldn't be ashamed," Jasper said after he released his hold on his other arm. Edward felt like a Transformer action figure being prepared to fight the Decepticons with the way they were moving his arms around.

"I'm not ashamed," Edward sighed. "It was a nice present and I really do like them. I'd just rather save them for a more formal occasion." Like when they got married. He would definitely wear them that day.

"You're lucky you got anything at all. Took you long enough to get your head out of your ass. I think you forgot about my advice. You stopped nurturing and what happened? Your little flower almost died." Emmett was grinning broadly, clearly already feeling a nice buzz from the beer. There was a small degree of menace behind his words though. The entire Cullen family adored Bella. If Edward messed up again, they would fight over who got to kick his ass first.

"Lay off, Emmett. I'm nurturing now. Just ask Jasper." Edward turned to his friend for help, but Jasper just held his hands up and took a step back.

"Don't bring me into your debate. All I've done is bake a pie. I have nothing else to add." Jasper took off for the kitchen, likely wanting to gather as much food as possible for their trip to the pool.

"Is Jasper your personal chef now?" Emmett asked.

"No, he just did me a favor. You know how much Bella likes to cook." Edward paused and took a good look at his brother. It was the first time in years that he felt like he was actually seeing Emmett. Tanyagate had put a strain on their relationship for a while and Edward spent a long time afterwards trying to avoid all contact with his older brother. The moment lacked the discomfort that he sometimes felt in Emmett's presence. "You and Rose should come over for dinner some time."

Emmett blinked a few times, his face frozen in astonishment. "Shit, Edward. You just invited us over for dinner. You've never invited us over for dinner before. I think I love Bella all the more right now."

"Because she can cook and feed you?" Edward asked confusedly.

"No. Because you're finally turning back into your old self. I've missed my brother. I'm glad to see him back again." Emmett slapped his shoulder and strode off towards the kitchen.

Edward realized that he liked being his old self as well. And Emmett was right, it was all thanks to Bella. She'd never asked him to be anything different than who he already was, but Edward wanted to be the best that he possibly could be, just for her. Isn't that what you did when you were in love?

***

"And then he told my parents that there was no way in hell he was going to change his name to Platt, he slammed the front door in their faces and told me to hire a butler so he wouldn't have to answer the door in his underwear anymore." Esme bent over, tears streaming down her face, as she finished telling the story of her wedding night to Bella, Alice, and Rosalie. Alice and Rosalie looked bored, leaving Bella to assume that they'd heard this story already. Bella still couldn't believe that Edward's parents had eloped after knowing each other six weeks. They seemed so big white dress and 500-guest list.

"Were Mr. Cullen's parents mad too?" Bella asked.

"Carlisle's parents were not pleased. But, they were mostly mad because we'd denied them their big society wedding. Our parents had known each other, but hadn't been anything more than acquaintances. They would have accepted our marriage more easily if we'd followed their rules. Carlisle and I don't like to follow the rules all the time. It makes life boring," Esme replied.

Bella thought about what she would want for her own wedding, someday. Not too big, she wouldn't be happy with a large group in attendance either. But she wouldn't want to elope. Something in the middle then. Her dad would walk her down the aisle, Alice would be her matron-of-honor and there'd be tulips. Lots and lots of tulips. Her dress wouldn't be one of those huge poofy ones. She'd prefer something that didn't require a bustle or a tulle-underlay. Simple. Small. Sweet.

Alice's hand touched her sleeve, and Bella snapped out of her wedding fantasy. "We were going to check on the boys now. Do you want to come?"

Bella nodded and slipped out of the room with Rosalie and Alice. Edward's mom had found a group of women admiring the photos that lined the walls, and she was no doubt bragging about her son.

It didn't take long to find the men in the kitchen, in the process of throwing tiny pickles at one another as if they were twelve-year-olds.

"I think you've hit your limit, Emmett Cullen. Put the beer down. Go get our stuff and we'll meet you by the pool," Rosalie snapped. She turned with a hair flick and Bella followed behind her and Alice. She smiled at Edward as she passed and waggled her fingers. She didn't get to order him around that often, but it was fun watching Rosalie do it.

The indoor pool was located in the north wing, at the end of a long hall. As soon as Bella stepped inside, she was greeted with the smell of chlorine and heat of the room. The underwater lights were already turned on, creating a green, shimmering light that bounced off the greenhouse ceiling and walls. If they'd been in a horror movie, this is the room Bella would have told the damsel in distress to immediately leave. But since it was only the Cullen mansion, the effect of the lighting and heat only made it seem mysterious.

Rosalie led them into a changing room right off the pool with two sinks, a long mirror and plenty of room to change into their bathing suits once they arrived.

Bella turned to Alice. "I'm not so sure about the bikini anymore. I've never worn one before. It wouldn't be so bad were it just me and Edward…" Bella said nervously.

Alice rolled her eyes as she sat down on one of the chairs and kicked off her shoes. "You'll look great. Edward won't be able to take his eyes off you and that's all that matters."

"I wish you would have let me order the tankini just in case…"

"You're beautiful Bella. Don't be afraid to show it off," Rosalie replied as she admired her hair in the mirror.

"Are you really going swimming?" Bella asked suddenly. She couldn't imagine Rosalie looking anything less than perfect, and the pool water would do just that.

"Emmett knows that I'm here to look cute and read my magazine. He'll have to find some other way to amuse himself other than trying to untie my suit in the pool."

"Your men have arrived," Emmett's voice echoed off the pool room.

There was a light tap at the door next and Alice stuck her head out. "Jasper, just put the bags here please. We'll come out when we're ready." Jasper did as he was instructed and received a kiss as a reward from his wife.

"Where are they going to change?" Bella asked as she dug out the small blue suit she was going to change into.

"Don't know, don't care," Rosalie replied as she pulled a teeny red bikini out of her own bag.

Bella looked around the room and realized that she was about to get naked with Alice and Rosalie. She felt the heat climb her cheeks and quickly turned her back as she pulled her stuff into one of the corners. She hadn't changed in front of other women since high school gym class; that was six years ago and she'd never gotten completely naked. She wanted to be as cool and nonchalant as Alice and Rosalie apparently were about their nudity, but she didn't have it in her.

"Get changed already, Swan," Rosalie barked, making Bella jump. Bella glanced her way, surprised to find Rosalie already wearing her bikini. Bella took a peek at Alice and got an eyeful of her naked butt before turning back around to face the wall. That was one experience she could check off on her list of things done in her lifetime: see another girl naked.

Bella took a deep breath, untied her dress, and pulled it off over her head. She quickly traded her underwear for her bathing suit and turned back around, feeling a sense of accomplishment. She almost wanted to pose with her arms in the air as if she'd just scored a perfect 10 on the balance beam. Rosalie and Alice dryly clapped their hands in support.

Bella frowned at Alice's bathing suit. "Why don't you have to wear a bikini?" She asked, a little put out that she'd been forced into one by someone who was able to enjoy the comfort and freedom of a one-piece yellow suit.

"This is Jasper's favorite suit. He knows why I wear it," Alice replied dreamily. Bella swore that they must have sex three times a day. It was the only thing that could explain the cryptically erotic answers that Alice always gave her.

"Ladies, we're waiting," Emmett's voice echoed again from the pool room. Rosalie strutted out the door, still wearing her high heels, with Alice and Bella following behind. She almost grabbed a towel to wrap around her body at the last minute, but changed her mind. She wanted to see Edward's face when she walked out there in only her bikini.

The boys had already jumped into the pool. Rosalie walked past Emmett who had climbed out of the pool at her appearance towards one of the lounge chairs on the opposite wall. Bella wondered if she would actually manage to stay dry entire time. Jasper helped Alice down the steps and into the water, pulling her close once they were both in the water.

Edward had also climbed out of the water, and walked over to greet Bella by the door. Water dripped off his body and splattered the cement floor, with some dripping onto Bella as well. Bella barely noticed though. Edward looked amazing in a bathing suit. His green trunks sat low on his hips and stopped at his knees. Somehow, his shoulders looked even larger than usual. His biceps flexed as he put his hands on his hips and Bella licked her lips as she followed a water drop down his chest, across his stomach and into the waistband of his trunks. She thought the kitchen table sex had been hot – she wondered how hot pool sex would be.

"Bella, you look awesome," Edward told her as they both finally finished looking their fill.

"This old thing?" Bella teased, feeling more confident than she had when she'd first put the suit on.

Edward grabbed her hand and pulled her in close for a kiss. "I'm so glad this thing ties. I'm going to enjoy untying in later," Edward whispered in her ear when they were done. Bella shivered, but she didn't know if it was from the damp body pressed against her front or the hot promise that echoed in her ear.

Edward tugged her towards the pool, holing her hand as they descended the small steps into the warm water. The pool wasn't very large or deep, but there was enough room for all of them to be in the water at the same time and not be shoulder to shoulder. Of course, once she'd dipped her head under the water completely and then wrapped her body around Edward's, it didn't really matter how many other people were in the pool. All she knew was herself and Edward.

Bella kept her arms loosely around Edward's neck and her legs wrapped around his waist as they floated through the water. Edward was doing all the work, using his legs to propel them through the water while his hands kept a firm grip on her butt. He moved them into one of the corners and Bella got her second taste of wet, chloriney Edward. His lips were firm but slippery and Bella thread her fingers into his hair while they made out. She could hear Emmett and Rosalie quietly talking on the other side of the room, but Jasper and Alice were just as quiet as she and Edward were. She wasn't going to make the mistake again of checking on Alice.

They kissed languidly, lips moving and tasting slowly like they had an eternity to explore. Bella really liked kissing Edward. Making love with him was spectacular, but kissing him sometimes felt even more intimate.

They were interrupted moments later by a loud splash and a shriek. Rosalie had gotten into the pool after all, but against her will.

"Emmett, I told you I didn't want to get my hair wet! Do you know how much it cost to get it blown out today?" Rosalie yelled as she splashed water at her husband, who was preparing to jump into the pool.

Edward laughed as he realized what Emmett was going to do. He wrapped his body around Bella protectively. She peeked over his shoulder as Emmett took two steps back, ran towards the pool, jumped and executed a perfect cannonball into the water. Water splashed up into the air and the waves created by his entrance beat against Edward's back. Bella's face was protected from the brunt of the attack, but she couldn't help laughing at Rosalie's outraged expression.

"Husband, I will make you pay," Rosalie announced regally. She stood in the center of the pool, her hair drenched, mascara running down her face, her hands on her hips. Bella had no doubt that Emmett would be paying at some point, but the look of joy on his face made it apparent that he didn't care.

"Babe, loosen up. We came to the pool to go swimming, not to read "Life and Style" and stare at our manicures." Emmett pushed his hair off his face and swam towards Rosalie with a feral look in his eyes. "I know what I can do make it all better," he purred right before he wrapped his arms around her. And just like that, Rosalie melted into Emmett's embrace and accepted whatever apology his hands were giving her. Bella turned away as soon as she realized that the threat of a Rosalie attack was over.

"This is fun," she told Edward, kicking her legs out into the water. She liked to swim, but had only been in the pool at the community center in Forks a few times.

"It is. I'm glad you're having a good time." Edward's hands were busy playing with the ties of her top and Bella frowned at him.

"Don't you dare untie my top here. We are not alone and if you want to see my boobs tonight, you'd better move your hands now," Bella told him sweetly but seriously. She was not going to get naked in front of anyone else tonight, unless it was Edward and they were alone in their room.

Edward's hands stilled and she could feel his thumbs pressing into her back. "You've been taking lessons from Rosalie," he said, chuckling under his breath. "I kind of like it when you're bossy."

Bella tightened her thighs around his hips. She could think of a hundred things she'd like to boss him about. Maybe now would be a good time to bring one of those up…

"Mary Alice, darling, I've been looking everywhere for you!" A woman stood in the doorway of the pool room, a fur stole wrapped around her neck, and diamonds dangling from her ears.

Bella glanced around, trying to determine whom she was talking to when Alice climbed out of the pool and walked towards the woman.

"Mary Alice? Is her name really Mary Alice?" Bella asked Edward, watching in fascination as Alice wrapped a towel around her body and stood talking to the woman. "Is that her mother?"

"Yes, Mary Alice is her real name but no one else calls her that. And that is the infamous Beatrice Brandon. Harvey is probably in the study with the other men smoking cigars. Bella, I swear, if you ever catch me wanting to sneak away to the study to drink and smoke cigars, perform an intervention. Please."

Bella smiled and promised. She didn't think Edward would ever be the stuffy, old money type.

"Bella, come meet my mother," Alice called, waving a hand at her to climb out of the pool.

Bella froze. Every bad thing she'd ever heard about this woman came to her in a rush. She hadn't wanted to meet her while she was wet, wearing a bikini, and with her hair plastered to her head. There was no avoiding it though as Edward pulled her limbs off his body and gave her a gentle push towards the stairs.

"Aren't you coming?" Bella whispered.

Edward's eyes glittered as he shook his head. "I'm already very well acquainted with Beatrice. I'll be safer over here."

"Chicken," Bella taunted before she turned and swam back toward the other end of the pool. All eyes were on her as she climbed out, wearing just her little blue bikini. This was the exact scenario she'd wanted to avoid from the beginning.

She grabbed a towel and walked over to where Alice and her mother stood. She dried her hand before holding it out in greeting.

"Pleasure," Mrs. Brandon murmured as she eyed Bella from her toes to her ears. Bella had never felt so judged before in her entire life. She wasn't perfect, but nobody was. How much could you actually judge someone by just one glimpse in their bathing suit anyway?

"It's nice to meet you," Bella replied, trying not to let her pre-conceived notions of the woman color her opinion.

"Mary Alice tells me that you teach at the school. Does your family approve of your career choice?"

"My dad's very proud of me, as is my mom." Bella hoped the interrogation would end soon so she and Edward could slip away. She was ready to get her Boss on.

"Hmmm…I see that you're dating Edward Cullen as well. He's quite the catch you know. Mary Alice, you would have done well to follow your friend's example. Marrying up instead of down is much preferable," she sniffed as she twisted the cocktail ring on her finger around.

"Mother, now is not the time," Alice protested. Bella felt bad for Alice. It was no picnic being embarrassed by your own mother. Bella wasn't going to allow her words to bother her though. She felt good about who she was and didn't need Beatrice Brandon's good opinion as a reinforcement.

"It was nice to meet you," Bella told her as she turned to head back to Edward's waiting arms. As she turned, she felt a slight tug at her neck and she gasped as cool air hit her right breast as it bounced out of the bikini top. She quickly pulled the towel over her front and shut her eyes, praying that she had not just exposed her boob to everyone else in the room.

Emmett's guffaw proved her nightmare to be a reality. She heard the click of Mrs. Brandon's heels as she left the room and then the sound of five voices filling the chamber with their loud laughs.

Bella wanted to melt into the floor. She heard Emmett and Rosalie's catcalls as well as Jasper's quiet laughter. She heard a splash from the pool which could only have been Edward. She turned her back and faced the open door, trying to tie her top back on so she could slink out of the pool and up to the guest room.

"Let me," Edward said as he reached her. His cool fingers deftly tied her top back and he placed a kiss on her shoulder. "I'm sorry…that was my fault. I loosened it earlier and I should have realized and tied it back tighter. If it's any consolation, Rosalie says you have a nice rack."

Bella wasn't angry; she was just horribly embarrassed. "She saw me naked earlier, so they weren't any big surprise to her. I never expected to expose myself to my best friend's mother, her husband, or my boyfriend's brother. Oh, God, Edward…" She spun around and buried her face against his chest.

"Would it make you feel better if I mooned them?" Edward asked, running his hands up and down her back.

Bella laughed and mumbled a no against his chest. She rather liked having her face plastered to his body. Heat was beginning to roll off him in waves and it made her body tingle in anticipation. She experimentally licked the nipple closest to her mouth and Edward immediately tightened in response.

"Right. Well, good night boys! Happy new year!" Edward spun her around and marched her out the door to the hall.

"It's not even midnight yet," Bella protested weakly. The temperature in the hall outside the pool was not conducive to prancing about in bathing suits, and Bella allowed Edward to hurry her towards the stairs that led to the bedrooms.

Edward held her hand all the way to the door to their room, opening it slowly, and allowing her to enter first. "I wanted to ring in the new year with just you in my arms," Edward whispered right before he took her lips. Bella smiled as her top fell off for the second time that night.

***

Edward didn't like the bar scene. He'd had his share of it in college, but since he moved back to the Midwest for grad school and then back home again, he usually only went to a bar if he was playing in it. It was with no small degree of reluctance that he agreed to go to Bella's Scrabble Club happy hour with her that Friday night. She'd mentioned it in passing, but had assured him that she would ask Alice to go with her.

Edward didn't want Bella to feel like she couldn't include him in parts of her life. He knew she was trying to protect him from that Joshua guy, but it wasn't necessary. He could handle any quizzical looks or probing questions that came up. He was beginning to realize that he would never fully escape his past and the longer he hid from it, the more it just looked like he was ashamed. Edward had nothing to be ashamed about and if he wanted a professional career, then he would at some point be in the spotlight again. It was time he manned up and got used to people being interested.

Bella had been surprised but pleased when he told her that he'd go with her. Her eyes had sparkled and Edward had preened over discovering something else that he could do to make that happen. She'd sparkled plenty of times the night before once he'd peeled her wet bathing suit from her body. He took a sip of his beer as he leaned against the bar, feeling close to sparkling himself at the memory.

"What are you smiling about?" Bella asked as she sat on the stool next to him. She'd been talking to one of the girls from her group, Edward had already forgotten her name, but she now had hold of a fruity-looking drink with an umbrella. They were at some island-themed restaurant that played reggae music and the bartenders and waitresses took dance breaks every thirty minutes. It had been amusing to watch the first time, but they had just finished their third performance and Edward was ready to leave. The band had a gig the next night and he had to get plenty of rest.

"You. You make me smile," Edward replied. He wrapped his finger around one of her curls, rubbing the soft strands between his thumb and finger.

"Thanks for coming with me. Do you want to leave soon?" She placed her hand on his knee, rubbing circles on his outer thigh with her thumb. Edward was ready to leave immediately. He'd already met most of her friends and they'd all been nice enough, if maybe a little on the nerdy side. That was ok – he liked that Bella was a little on the nerdy side. It fascinated him that she always carried a book in her purse "just in case" and that she could name every novel that Jane Austen had ever written.

Edward nodded his head but groaned when he heard Bella's name being called from the other end of the bar. Bella turned her head and waved over a couple that he'd yet to meet.

"Be nice," Bella whispered right before they were joined by a man with short dark hair and a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair.

"Josh, it's good to see you," Bella said as she gave him a quick hug. Edward clenched his jaw as he successfully managed not to rip the guy's hands from Bella's body. "This is my boyfriend Edward," Bella introduced him. "Josh works for the newspaper," Bella told him as he pumped the other man's hand. Her earlier warning finally made sense. This man was the reason Bella had been hesitant to invite him. He didn't look very frightening. He was young, well younger than Edward anyway. Average height, average hair, average clothes. His eyes were sharp though and they narrowed in recognition. Edward bristled at the coming confrontation.

"Cullen, right? I saw you play a few years ago in the city. You've got a great band," Josh replied before turning to blonde standing next to him. "This is Rachel. We work together. This is Bella Swan and Edward Cullen." The woman politely extended her hand to Bella but Edward didn't miss the jolt of excitement that had flashed in her eyes when his name was mentioned. She looked back and forth between him and Bella for a few minutes before she shook his hand and murmured a hello.

"Sorry we're late. Traffic was horrible coming out of the city. You aren't leaving already are you?" Josh apparently liked to talk. Edward remembered another guy who liked to talk, whom Bella had spoken to on the phone for an hour just that morning. She'd been clearly relieved to hear from Jacob after several days of radio silence. Edward would be happy if he never called again, but he would have to learn to accept that Jacob would have some place in Bella's life.

"We were. Edward's got a gig tomorrow." Bella explained as she picked her purse up off the bar stool.

"Just one more drink? I wanted to talk to you about a competition that's coming up in February," Josh pleaded pleasantly.

Bella looked at him, and Edward knew that she wanted to stay. He could be nice for another half hour, but as soon as the dancing started again, he was out of there. "One more sounds good," he said as he leaned against the bar again. Josh and Bella immediately started strategizing about the competition they wanted to enter. Edward was glad that Josh had little interest in talking to him. He really didn't want to talk to anyone who worked for a newspaper. Unfortunately, his friend Rachel wasn't as easily distracted by Bella.

"Have you been dating long?" Rachel asked as she signaled the bartender to order. She didn't look at him directly, which made him oddly uncomfortable, like they were secret agents trying to exchange information without anyone realizing that they were actually talking to one another.

"Long enough," Edward replied. He didn't know what her deal was, but he hoped she wasn't trying to hit on him in front of Bella.

"Josh says that you and Bella work together. Does that ever get uncomfortable?" She asked once she'd gotten her own bottle of beer.

"No," Edward replied curtly. He definitely felt like he was being interviewed.

"I once dated a co-worker. It ended horribly. He cried for a week and finally quit," Rachel told him with a smile.

Edward fought the smile that tried to break across his face. He didn't want to like anything about this woman. As far as he was concerned, the less he said to her the better.

"See … I knew we'd find something to talk about. I swore off co-workers after that. It's too messy. It's probably easier in a school though. You have hundreds of kids as buffers."

"What about Josh?" Edward asked, nodding towards where he stood with Bella.

"Not a date. We're friends. He hates going to these things alone. He thinks that no one will want to talk to him and he'll be left sitting on a bar stool all night by himself. Yet, every time I come he's immediately surrounded and I don't see him again until it's time to leave." Rachel shrugged her shoulders, and Edward found himself liking her a little bit more. Not enough to be friends with, but he decided that he wouldn't completely hate her guts after all.

"That's nice of you. This is my first one of these. I'm rather private," he told her, hoping she'd catch the hint that he wouldn't be revealing any secrets.

"Bella seems like a nice girl. Friendly, but a little shy. Is she happy at her job? Because I have a friend who works for Peoria's school district and I know they're looking for an English teacher for next fall."

"She's not interested," Edward replied, his feelings of good will towards Rachel disappearing. "She's happy at Cullen Academy. The kids love her and she's a great teacher." He paused for a moment, realizing what was really bothering him. "How did you know that she taught English?"

Bella joined them then, placing her empty glass on the bar. "Josh says we're going to enter the regional competition this year. Isn't that exciting?"

Edward nodded as he waited for Rachel's reply, his eyes never leaving her face. He knew that she was up to something. He could feel it.

"Josh mentioned it in the car. I'm sorry, did I make you angry?" Her eyes were wide and innocent, but Edward didn't buy her act at all.

"Bella, it's time to go," he told her.

"Ok," Bella answered, saying goodbye to Josh and Rachel before grabbing her coat and heading out the door with him.

"What was that about?" She asked once they were in the privacy of his car.

"She's up to something. That Rachel woman. She knew that we worked together and that you teach English and she kept asking if you were happy with your job."

"She's a reporter. It's her job to be nosy. Don't take it personally. I'm sure Joshua told her all about me. Besides, it's not like she was asking questions about you," Bella said patiently.

Edward sighed as he realized that she was right. He'd jumped to conclusions again and had probably embarrassed Bella in front of her friends. "I'm sorry," he told her as they headed home. "I'll try not to be an ass in public again."

"Forgiven," Bella said as she leaned back against the car's headrest.

Edward couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something though.


	31. Chapter 31

A/N: There's an outtake posted involving Edward, Bella and a bathtub. You should go read it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

* * *

"Edward, I'm home!" Bella called out as she stepped into his front hallway. She hung her coat on the hook next to his and put her bag down on the floor. His shoes were lying haphazardly across the floor, as if he'd been in a hurry when he'd gotten home. She didn't hear him call out a response to her greeting, but she did hear the sounds of the piano drifting down the stairs. This was not unusual. Edward had been playing almost non-stop for weeks.

They'd fallen into a comfortable routine over the past few weeks, spending more time at Edward's house than they had before. Bella had relaxed her "no sleepovers on school nights" rule so they spent almost all their free time together. With Edward leaving in three days' time, they needed that time together before he left.

Bella followed the music up the carpeted stairs, down the hall and into the spare bedroom where Edward kept his keyboard. She leaned against the door frame, enjoying being able to have a moment just to watch him. She never got bored watching Edward play the piano. He was hunched over it with a pencil in his mouth and a look of extreme concentration on his face as his fingers flew across the keys. He stopped playing and yanked the pencil out of his mouth, jotting down some notes on the sheet of music that was spread out on the music stand in front of him.

"Is that the new piece you've been working on?" She asked as she pushed off the doorframe and walked into the room. His head shot up and Bella recognized the glazed-over look in his eyes. He wasn't really with her. He was stuck in whatever zone he went into when he was composing. The only thing that existed there was his piano and the music that played in his head.

He blinked, and she could see that he was trying to snap out of the little world he'd immersed himself in, just so he could hold a conversation with her. "It is. I'm almost done." Bella cringed. She didn't want to interrupt him if he was that close to being finished. She turned to leave him in peace, but he grabbed her hand before she got far and pulled her back. "How was the poetry club?"

Bella allowed him to pull her onto his lap, and she smoothed his hair back off his face. When he composed, he tugged and pulled on his hair until it became an unruly mess. "It's not poetry club. I'm just helping some students get ready for the state poetry competition. And they're doing well, thank you. Do you have rehearsal tonight?"

Edward shook his head and Bella could see him drifting back into his music world. Knowing that she wouldn't get any more meaningful conversation out of him, Bella placed a kiss on his lips and stood up. "I'm going downstairs to cook dinner. Don't be too long, ok?" Edward nodded, but he was already hunched over his sheet music again. Bella chuckled and headed back down to the kitchen, knowing she'd be lucky to see him again once their meal was ready.

The phone rang while she was in the kitchen and Bella cast her eyes to the ceiling, waiting to see if Edward would answer it. He tended to turn the ringer off the extension when he was busy, so she allowed it to ring three times before she answered it herself. She hoped it wasn't another telemarketer who would ask to speak to the "man of the house." That just made her mad. Fortunately, it was Seth.

"How's London?" Bella asked as she put some chicken into the microwave to defrost.

"Wet. Cold. Fantastic," Seth replied. Bella and Seth had fallen into an easy camaraderie over the past few weeks. He was friendly, smart, and easy to talk to. Bella was glad Edward had been able to turn to him during those two years after Tanyagate.

"You must be so excited. Edward's knees haven't stopped knocking for days," Bella said as she prepared the ingredients for the sauce. She hadn't seen Edward so nervous since his first gig at Christine's.

"I'm running on adrenaline at this point. Listen, I hate to cut this short, but is Edward around? I need to check with him about something."

Bella frowned. She didn't want to disturb Edward, but she knew he'd want to talk to Seth. "Yeah, he's upstairs. Hold on a minute."

Bella put the phone down and climbed back up to the spare bedroom. The music that filtered out of the room now was not the same melody she'd heard earlier. Edward was banging on the keys randomly, clearly frustrated about something.

"Hey, Seth's on the phone for you," she said once a break in the attack on the keys came.

Edward swiveled on his stool, his eyes gleaming in frustration. "I can't get this one section to work. It needs something more…" He turned back around and stabbed his pencil at the sheet music a few times.

Bella walked behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. She could feel all the stress and frustration bunched up in his shoulders. "Why don't you step away for a while? Maybe inspiration will strike while you're working on something else?" Bella rubbed his shoulders and she could feel him relax just the tiniest bit. "Seth's on the phone," she told him again, realizing that he probably hadn't comprehended it the first time she'd told him.

Just like that, he snapped out of whatever daze he'd been in. He leaned across the keyboard and grabbed the phone. "Seth, man, how's it going?"

Bella kissed the top of his head and walked back downstairs to finish making dinner. Edward appeared just as she pulled the baked chicken out of the oven.

"Can you grab the rice?" She asked, nodding to the pot on the stove. Edward grabbed some hot mitts and transferred the steaming contents into the bowl she had ready on the counter. Bella was impressed with his kitchen contributions lately. He'd managed to cook hamburgers the past weekend that weren't disgusting. Admittedly, he'd cooked them on the George Foreman grill, but it was a start.

They settled at the table and dug into their food with gusto. Edward seemed particularly ravenous, filling his plate with a heaping helping of seconds.

"Do you want to go to Target right after school tomorrow? There are still a few things that I need to get before I leave."

Bella tried not to cringe when he voiced what she'd been trying to ignore for days. Edward was leaving in three days. She cleared her throat of the sudden emotion that had crept in. "I can't. I have yearbook until five."

Edward scrunched his eyes, a forkful of green beans hovering in the air in front of his mouth. "When is Rebecca coming back?"

"She just had the baby two weeks ago, Edward. She'll be out for the rest of the school year." Bella had volunteered to fill in for one of the yearbook advisors during her maternity leave.

"You've just been spending a lot of time at school," he said sulkily, stabbing at the remaining vegetables on his plate.

Bella didn't know whether to hug him or throw her spoon at him. "It's better than me sitting here for a month with nothing to do."

He put his fork down and grabbed her hand across the table. "Shit, babe, I'm sorry. I just….this is so hard."

Bella squeezed his hand in understanding. "I know. It's hard for both of us. Twenty-eight days, remember? Then you'll be home and everything will go back to normal." Bella wasn't sure what normal was, but they'd figure it out.

"You'll still have yearbook, poetry club, and Scrabble club though. Hell, you'll probably be coaching the volleyball team too by the time I get back," he said, sinking further into his grumpy mood.

"That's not likely. Volleyball is a fall sport. Besides, no one wants me coaching any sport. I'd probably send all the girls to the hospital in the first week." Edward managed a weak smile. The urge to hug him was winning out over the urge to throttle him. "We can go after yearbook though, right? Maybe we should look at TVs while we're there too."

That, finally, got a real smile from him. "I don't believe you'll buy a TV. You've gone for months without one, and we spend almost all our time here. I've got three of them and you rarely watch any of them."

Bella shrugged and pushed the chicken around on her plate. "It's going to be quiet in my apartment. I thought it would be nice to have some background noise."

"You can stay here while I'm gone if you want."

Bella quickly shook her head. "I don't think I can do that." Bella blinked rapidly, pushing away the threatening tears. She jumped up, scraping the remaining food of her plate and rinsing it off in the sink. The food she'd eaten sat in her stomach like a stack of bricks.

She heard Edward's chair scrape across the kitchen floor. His footsteps were light as he crossed the kitchen and stood behind her at the sink. "I just want you to be comfortable while I'm gone. If you want a TV, we'll buy a TV."

Bella relaxed back against his body, allowing him to support her weight. "What did Seth want?" She asked, wanting to change the subject before the tears started.

"His friend in London wants to look at a few other pieces we've written, so I need to bring the scores with me when I leave. He also wanted to make sure I booked at room at the hotel he's staying at and that I remember to pack clean underwear and deodorant. He likes to baby me too."

Bella managed to laugh despite the sadness that had settled around them. "I don't baby you. I just like to make sure that you're eating and sleeping properly. Besides, Seth is just as nervous as you. He probably forgot to pack his toothbrush and doesn't want you to make the same mistake."

"Or maybe he thinks I'm smelly and don't know how to wear clean clothes."

Bella tilted her head back and planted a kiss on his chin. "You did live together for a number of years. Seth knows your hygiene habits better than I do." Bella felt some of her anxiety melt away underneath their light-hearted banter. She didn't want to be doom and gloom for the little time they had left together.

"You're a brat," Edward murmured as Bella turned and settled into his arms.

"Yes, but I'm your brat."

Bella sighed, and then leaned in to kiss his lips, feeling the melancholy wash over her forcefully. She couldn't stop the tear that fell across her cheek.

"Twenty-eight days, Bella."

***

Bella stood at the security checkpoint at O'Hare, watching Edward walk down the hallway towards his gate. She bit her lip, trying to distract herself with pain in order not to start bawling in the middle of the airport. Edward had repeated their mantra before turning abruptly away and lining up with the other international passengers to have their bags and shoes scanned.

Bella turned and marched down the hallway, back the way they'd come only moments earlier. She swallowed the lump in her throat and made her way through the early morning throngs of commuters crowding the airport. Alice was waiting in the car for her, and she was suddenly glad. She wasn't going to be able to remain stoic for much longer.

Alice stood next to her car in the parking garage, and Bella threw herself into her arms, not able to hold back the tears any longer. Alice rubbed her hands up and down her back, making soothing sounds. They stood like that for a while, oblivious to the people who passed by and gave them questioning looks.

Just as Bella started to notice the chill in the air, Alice spoke. "Let's go home. Jasper needs your help making dinner."

Bella snorted in disbelief, trying to surreptitiously wipe away the snot bubble she'd created. "Jasper needs my help cooking like Michael Phelps needs help winning gold medals."

"With the amount of people coming over, he's going to need your help this time. Come on. T-minus five hours. There's no time for sniveling now."

Bella walked around to the passenger side, settling in for the drive back to Bear Lake. "I don't think I want to be around people this afternoon, Alice."

Alice shot her a look as she pulled into traffic. "That's exactly why you need to be around people. I refuse to let you sit at home by yourself, crying over chick flicks and hermitizing yourself for the next month."

"That's not what I'd planned to do. I have tests to grade, lessons to plan, a poetry competition to help with, yearbook, plus my apartment could really use a good, thorough cleaning. I've got plenty to do." Bella pouted and turned to stare out the window.

"I know you do. I'm talking about when it's late at night and you're missing Edward the most. Or it's a Saturday afternoon and you find yourself mopping the kitchen floor for the third time that day. Don't forget, I've been there too. I know what it's like to have your partner go out of town for long trips." Alice's voice was even, but Bella could sense a tinge of frustration behind her words.

"I'm sorry. I know you're trying to help. I'm just not feeling very social right now." Bella wanted to just curl into a ball and host a pity party for one. Alice seemed determined to turn that party into a rave.

Alice took that as her cue to change the subject and she began talking about the college acceptance letters that had begun to trickle in to her seniors. Bella tried to pay attention but it was difficult when she kept wondering where Edward was and what he was doing.

As Alice pulled into her driveway and shut off the car, Bella's phone chirped with a new text message.

Alice grinned as she watched Bella type furiously on the small keypad. "Edward?"

Bella nodded and put the phone back into her pocket. "Yeah. He says they just issued the first boarding call for his flight so he'll be on the plane soon." He also told her that he loved and missed her, but Bella wasn't going to share that part.

Alice abandoned her in the kitchen moments later, opting to head to the office and stay out of their way.

"It's for the best," Jasper commented dryly as he wiped his hands on his apron.

Bella was glad for the reprieve from the pitying looks that Alice kept shooting her way. Jasper wouldn't make her talk about her feelings. It would be best if she didn't have to do much thinking in the next twenty-four hours anyway. Thinking led to thoughts of Edward which led to missing Edward which just made Bella sad. Bella did not want to spend the next four weeks being sad.

"So, what do you need me to do?" Bella asked as she tied a frilly yellow apron around her waist.

"The lamb is ready to go; we'll just need to stick it in the oven when the time comes." Jasper consulted a piece of paper he'd stuck to the fridge. "We need to cut the potatoes, wash the asparagus, lettuce and tomatoes, and make the soup."

"I'll take potato duty," Bella volunteered. Jasper nodded his approval and set about washing the vegetables. They worked for a while in silence, which was fine with Bella. She concentrated on the lesson she was starting on Little Women in the coming week.

Apparently, Jasper was under orders to not let her stew for too long. When Bella stood to fill the potato pot with water, he looked up guiltily and cleared his throat.

"So, your dad's coming to visit next month?"

Bella watched the pot fill with water before answering. "Yeah, he's interested in seeing where I live and he wants a tour of the school. He probably also wants to interrogate all my friends, so prepare yourself to be questioned by the Forks' chief of police."

"He likes to fish, right?"

Bella leaned against the counter, wondering where Jasper was going with this. "Yeah. He'd live on a boat if he could get away with it."

"You should let us take him out on the lake when he's here. Carlisle owns a boat. We could make it a boys' day out."

Bella's chest constricted at Jasper's generosity. "I'd bet he'd really like that. Are you sure Carlisle won't mind?" Bella cringed at calling Edward's dad by his first name, but if Jasper felt comfortable doing it, why shouldn't she?

Jasper chuckled silently. "I think if you look closely enough, you'll find that you have two Cullen men wrapped around your finger. Carlisle adores you." He looked towards the kitchen door to make sure they were still alone before he stood and walked over to her at the sink. "I overheard him telling Esme at their New Year's Eve party how much he was looking forward to having you as a daughter. You've done wonders for Edward, but you've done a lot for that whole family too. They've been fractured for a while, but you're slowly bringing them all back together again."

Bella chewed on her lip while she pondered Jasper's thoughts. She wasn't sure that she wanted that much responsibility. She liked to think that Edward was working on whatever problems he still had with his family without any help from her. She knew he still smarted from the indignity of being fired by his brother and their consequent lack of trust, but Edward had already come a long way towards forgiveness before she came along.

"I just want Edward to be happy," she said finally. "He loves his family and he's beginning to realize that he actually enjoys spending time with them. I think he'd forgotten that."

Jasper turned and started pulling ingredients out of the cupboard over the stove. "It's a good thing you like spending time with them too. Or else this afternoon would be uncomfortable for you."

"Good thing," Bella said with a quiet huff.

A few hours later, the Cullens arrived en masse. Carlisle and Esme were a flurry of kisses and hugs. Rosalie, Emmett and a napping George were a jumble of bags, toys and baby bottles.

Alice emerged from the office, looking like she'd been asleep the entire time Bella and Jasper had been cooking. Bella frowned at her in concern, but Alice just shrugged her off before leading Emmett down the hallway to set up the portable crib for George.

"Bella, how are you?" Esme asked, touching her sleeve and tearing her attention away from Alice.

"I'm good, thanks. Edward sent me a message right before they took off and," Bella glanced at the wall clock, "he should be calling me once he lands in a couple hours."

"Just let us know if we can do anything, dear. Don't forget brunch next Sunday."

Bella nodded her head and smiled, remembering the dinner Edward's parents had held two nights prior. They'd needed to be able to say goodbye as well. Esme had cornered her and extracted a promise to come for Sunday brunch every week. Her family and friends were circling the wagons. Bella appreciated the effort but hoped she wouldn't suffocate underneath all their good will.

Once Emmett and Alice resurfaced, Jasper herded everyone into the dining room. Bella hurried back into the kitchen and began plating the Caesar salads for Jasper to carry in. It was fun cooking with Jasper, but she wasn't sure why he'd decided on serving a four-course meal.

When she joined the table, Bella took a sip of her wine and looked around the table at all the happy faces seated there. She was reminded again how much this felt like home to her now. All that was missing was Edward.

Alice leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Hanging in there?" Her eyes were filled with concern.

Bella forced the smile back on to her face. "Yes," she sighed, pushing away thoughts of Edward. "You?" She wasn't going to forget that Alice had fallen asleep for four hours.

"Just tired," Alice replied.

"Eat up; some healthy food will do you good."

Alice gave her a mock salute before taking a dainty bite of the salad. Bella bumped her shoulder against Alice's and they both started giggling.

"What's so funny?" Emmett boomed from the other side of the table.

"We're just being silly," Bella replied, listening to the happy sounds of forks clanking against plates. So far the first course seemed to be a success.

"Did I mention that we have a special staff meeting on Tuesday?" Emmett asked as he leaned back in his chair.

Bella looked around the room, glad to see that Alice looked as surprised as she felt. Carlisle, on the other hand, sat up straight at the head of the table, his blue eyes practically glowing with excitement.

"No, you didn't," Alice replied after wiping her mouth with her napkin. "Are you introducing Edward's substitute?"

Bella frowned at the thought of someone else taking over Edward's domain while he was gone. Thankfully, the substitute wasn't the same snotty woman who had subbed for him at the beginning of the year.

"No, I'll save Paul for the Wednesday meeting. This is really exciting news. Big news. Something that could bring about big changes to the school."

"Emmett," Carlisle said warningly.

Emmett frowned at Carlisle but dialed down the enthusiasm. "Fine. I'll send out a memo tomorrow. But it really is good news."

Bella exchanged a look with Alice, but neither knew what to make about Emmett's strange announcement.

"Soup time," Jasper announced suddenly, clearing everyone's plates as he walked around the table. Bella followed him into the kitchen and dished up the soup. The rest of the meal followed the same pattern. Bella would dish out the meal and help carry the dishes into the dining room. Everyone would eat, and then Jasper would clear the dishes to start over again. It was exhausting for Bella and gave her little time to stew or worry about missing Edward. She was beginning to see why Jasper had planned the meal that way.

By the time they finished scraping the raspberry torte off their plates and drinking their coffee, George was happily sucking away at his bottle and pulling on Alice's earrings.

"You're such a natural, dear," Esme commented watching the two of them together. "Will you and Jasper be starting your family soon?"

All conversation at the table stopped. Forks no longer scraped against plates and no one scuffled their feet along the hardwood floor. Bella held her breath as she waited for Alice to answer.

"We will when the time's right," Jasper answered instead. He stood and began clearing away the dessert plates. Alice's eyes stayed riveted on George's face as he sucked away the last of his bottle.

Rosalie stood and crossed to where Alice and George were seated. "Let me burp him. He's picky about who he gives his burps up to." Rosalie smiled as she removed her large bundle of joy from Alice's arms. Bella stood to help clear away the rest of the plates, but Alice's hand on her arm stilled her. "I'll do it. You stay and chat."

Bella watched Alice as she circled the room, clearing away dirty plates as she went. She didn't smile once, and Bella knew that Esme's words had affected her more than she wanted anyone to know.

Carlisle and Esme were seated at the opposite end of the table. Bella scooted down a few chairs so she could talk to them more easily.

"Did I say something wrong?" Esme asked quietly. Her eyes were filled with concern and remorse.

"Children are just a touchy subject right now," Bella said. She didn't want to reveal more to the Cullens if Alice hadn't already told them herself.

"Oh, dear. I didn't mean anything by it. She's obviously very good with children. She'll make a good mother. Should I go apologize?"

Carlisle shook his head. "Just give her and Jasper a moment alone."

Bella's phone rang in her pocket then, and it was Edward's ring. He'd programmed it to play "April in Paris" and Bella jumped up the second she heard it. She smiled apologetically to Esme and Carlisle, but they only shooed her away. She hurried out the front door and onto the porch, ignoring the cold.

"Edward," she breathed into the phone.

"Bella," he replied with a chuckle. "I'm here. We landed pretty much on time. I am walking through the airport in search of Seth at the moment. I just wanted to let you know that I'm here and I'm safe."

Bella clutched the phone to her ear, hoping by some miracle that she could crawl through the device and into Edward's arms. "I'm glad to hear it. I miss you already."

"I miss you too. I spent the entire flight thinking up things we can do when I get back."

"Oh, yeah? Like what?" Bella laughed into the phone, giddy from the sound of his voice.

Edward's answering chuckle was deep and promising. "I think I'll just let you stew on that for a while. How's dinner? Wait, is dinner over yet?"

"You caught me at the end of it. We're just cleaning up now." Bella realized with a start that they had a time difference to get used to now. And with Edward in constant motion across Europe, she probably would never know what time it was where he was.

"I'd bet it was good. Don't tell me what you had – it will just make me insanely jealous. They fed us tiny pizzas on the plane."

Bella closed her eyes, trying to pretend that Edward stood next to her as he spoke. The illusion was fleeting, but it gave her a momentary sense of peace.

"Oh, I see Seth now. I'll call you tomorrow, ok? Tell everyone I said hello. I love you Bella."

"I love you too," Bella replied, clutching the phone tightly again. She pocketed the phone and stared out unseeingly at the darkened street. So far, the first day without Edward hadn't been too bad. Yes, she missed him. Yes, it would be lonely in her bed that night. But, with the help of her friends, she'd survived day number one. Only twenty-seven more to go.

With a sigh, she walked back into the house in search of Alice. She could use a hug and some sympathy. She stopped short at the kitchen door. Jasper stood in front of the sink, Alice wrapped in his arms. Her forehead pressed against his chest and her eyes were closed, but Bella could clearly see the silent tears that streamed down her cheeks. She walked backwards out of the room and into the living room to join the others. Bella wanted comforting, but Alice needed it more.

***

"Alright, everyone take your seats. I have a big announcement and I want to make sure everyone is here before we get started." Emmett turned to Mrs. Trips and said something quietly to her.

Alice leaned over to whisper into Bella's ear. "Have you met Paul yet? He's standing over there next to Angela."

Bella turned her head to get a look at Edward's substitute. She hadn't met him yet; she'd been too afraid to venture anywhere near the music room in the two days since he'd left. Sitting in the library was the closest she intended to get. She found the man next to Angela, and gasped in surprise.

"He looks like a teenager," she whispered back to Alice.

"He just graduated from college last month. He's Seth's younger brother."

Bella nodded in understanding. Edward had told her that much; she hadn't expected him to be quite so young. He was tall and good-looking. His dark hair was long and shaggy, cut almost in the same style that her male students were wearing. He stood confidently next to Angela, talking to her animatedly while his body language shouted that he was interested in her. Bella wondered how Angela's boyfriend Ben would react to that small piece of news.

"Ok, people, settle down. Thank you Randall for deciding to join us," Emmett said sarcastically to the health teacher who had just scuttled into the room. "I have some very exciting news to share. The Cullen Academy has been picked as a finalist for the National Diamond School of Excellence award."

Emmett held his hands up to quiet the murmurs that hummed around the room.

"Out of 1,000 schools that applied, we are among five finalists so this is a major achievement for the school. I don't need to tell you the distinction this would bring. They only award it once every five years and its an honor we'll be able to keep so long as we meet their basic standards every year after that."

Bella leaned over and whispered to Alice, "I've never heard of this award."

"Neither have I," Alice whispered back. "But Emmett seems pretty excited about it so it must be a big deal."

"If we win, or should I say, when we win, the school will be awarded a cash prize as well as exclusive use to the name and logo of the award for the next five years. We would be allowed to use it on all our advertising and correspondence. Additionally, the big three networks would send news teams here and Cullen Academy would get national coverage."

"Emmett, when will they announce the winner?" Someone asked from the back of the room.

"That's a good question, Collin. The winner is announced at the end of April, after the selection committee has visited all five schools. The finalists all remain a secret. Only the winner is announced in the end."

"So, we shouldn't talk about it outside of work?" A small voice asked from the front of the room.

"Thank you, Bree. Another good question. We are not allowed to divulge this information to anyone. It's one of the conditions of being a finalist." He turned and nodded to Mrs. Trips. "Betty's passing around a copy of paragraph three of your contracts. This is our confidentiality clause. Anyone who is caught discussing school business outside of school will have their contract terminated. We cannot afford to lose out on this award because someone went blabbing to their mother who told her best friend who just happens to be the aunt of Suzy Q who works for ABC7. We must be diligent about this and I'm completely serious when I say that you will lose your job over this. We had some problems last fall with school information leaking out to the newspaper; I do not want to see a repeat of that." Emmett resembled a lion eyeing its targeted prey. He was fierce, determined and would attack anyone who got in his way.

Bella raised her hand timidly, afraid to shout her question out as the others had done. Emmett's eyes softened when he saw her raised arm. "Yes, Bella?"

"Will we have to do anything when the selection committee's here and I guess we shouldn't tell the students either?" Bella couldn't imagine 500 students being able to keep something so important a secret.

"Yes, for now, this information is proprietary and only the school staff should know about it. The committee will spend the last two weeks of this month shadowing many of you. They won't be able to visit all the classrooms, but part of their process is evaluating our teaching staff."

Bella tapped her fingers against her leg as she imagined a stranger sitting in on one of her lessons. Just the thought of it made her nervous.

"You'll be great," Alice whispered as Emmett continued to answer questions.

"I hope so. I'll have to keep a spare lesson on hand just in case they stop by on a movie day." Bella was going to show Little Women at the end of the month. It would be just her luck that one of the committee members would pop in that day.

Alice smiled at her warmly before turning her attention back to Emmett. Bella hoped she would be able to come up with something spectacular to do with her students, just in case she was one of the lucky few to be shadowed by the committee. This award seemed to be fairly important to the school and Bella didn't want to be the one teacher who ruined it for all of them.


	32. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: I still don't nor will I ever own Twilight.

* * *

Bella dragged home at the end of a long school day. She'd rushed to yearbook after the staff meeting and discovered a roomful of bored teenagers. Apparently, the yearbook editor had a doctor's appointment and without her iron-fisted presence to keep everyone on task, the rest of the yearbook staff hadn't known what to do. Bella had attempted to salvage the rest of the plan for that day, but had given up by 5:00.

Bella unlocked her apartment door and a wide, flat envelope fell at her feet. Bella bent down to pick it up, recognizing the FedEx logo, but unable to figure out who would send her something via FedEx. She examined the return address as she walked into the kitchen, and gasped aloud when she realized that the sender was one E. Cullen.

She tossed her bags to the ground and tore open the envelope in a flash. He'd only been gone a few days and she couldn't imagine what he'd sent or when he'd found the time to do it. When she'd talked to him a few hours earlier, he'd been on dinner break at the studio and moaning about how busy they'd been.

Out of the envelope appeared a plain white envelope. Her name was written across the front in Edward's distinctive script. Bella sat at the table as she pulled a single piece of paper from the envelope. She scanned the contents quickly and immediately wanted to hop a plane to London, hunt Edward down and kiss him endlessly.

Bella had received her first love letter. Just like the letters Edward had found all those months ago between her mom and dad, Edward was writing to her so she'd have her own memories to keep.

_Dearest Bella,_

_I just got off the phone with you an hour ago, but you're all I've been able to think about since. While we talked, I imagined you sitting in your comfy chair and twirling one of your long, beautiful curls around your fingers. Your pale legs are crossed at the ankle and you're swinging one of your feet back and forth. I would give anything to have been there with you._

_The cab ride to the hotel was interesting. Seth pointed out Parliament and Big Ben and I wanted to tug on your sleeve to make sure that you'd seen it too. Only, you weren't there to tug on so I'm trying desperately to hold onto all these memories so I can share them with you later. They would be easier to remember if you were here with me now. Every memory we've made together has been more brilliant in my mind because you were there and that makes it that more precious of a memory._

_The hotel room is small and cramped. The bed really only sleeps one, but if you were here with me, we'd work something out. Our limbs would be entwined and our hearts so close together that we could feel them beating in perfect time, just like a metronome. In the morning, I would wake you with kisses and love and then spend the rest of the day trying to make you laugh and smile._

_Since that's not possible for now, I will send you a text in a little while telling you how much I love and miss you. I'm hoping that by sending you this letter, you will finally feel at peace about the way I feel about you. You are my life, Bella. Without you, even the music that once meant so much to me is just a muffled background soundtrack._

_I love you a million times,_

_Edward_

Bella smoothed the vellum out on the table before her, running her fingers over the imprint that his pen left on the page. If she closed her eyes, she could picture Edward sitting in his cramped hotel room, writing away earnestly, trying to make her see once and for all what she'd been hesitant to believe all along. He loved her. He wanted her forever. Emotion clutched at her chest and she took a moment to let it work through her body. She wanted to call Edward, but was afraid that she would hyperventilate if she tried before she calmed down.

When her breathing was back to normal, Bella picked her purse off the floor where she'd dropped it and dug out her phone. International calling rates were ridiculous, but Edward had insisted on paying for the charges while he was out of town. Bella had conceded once she'd realized that it was something he needed to do.

She touched the edges of the letter again while she waited for him to pick up. She wasn't even sure what she would say to him; thank you didn't seem good enough.

"Bella," Edward breathed into the phone a moment later. She closed her eyes and pictured him standing next to her instead of a continent away.

"I got the letter," she choked out, biting back another surge of emotion. "Edward, it's beautiful. No one's ever sent me a love letter before."

"Ah, Bella, I was hoping you would like it. Hold on a sec." Bella heard some muffled sounds and then the click of a door. "Ok, sorry, I've locked myself in the loo. We're still at the studio and the sound guys were giving me funny looks. You liked the letter."

"I love the letter. Do you know how hard it is for me not to drive to the airport right now just so I can show you in person how much I like it?"

Edward chuckled. "I think I do. I've been fighting the urge to fly home to see you every day."

"I can't believe that you remembered that. We had that conversation months ago, not to mention that it was overshadowed by something unpleasant immediately afterwards."

"La la la," Edward sang into the phone, "nothing unpleasant. Our conversations are only to be filled with how much we love each other and pleasant topics of conversation."

"When did you turn so silly? Ok, only pleasant. Shall we talk about the weather or maybe the fact that your nephew started crawling yesterday?"

"What?" Edward all but yelled into the phone. "He's crawling already and I'm missing it? Figures he would wait until I'm out of town."

"Yes, I'm sure the five-month-old planned it that way. He'll still be crawling when you get home. Emmett's taking plenty of pictures and video. Maybe he'll post some online for you to see too."

Edward grumbled into the phone some more about what he was missing while he was away. Bella smiled while she pictured him locked into a bathroom, pouting over his nephew. A loud banging interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh, hell. Bella, I've got to go. Seth needs me for something."

Bella tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice. "Ok. We'll talk later?"

"I'll call you tomorrow. I love you."

Bella repeated the sentiment and placed the phone down on the table next to the letter. She was sad for the phone call to end, but she had something important to do. She needed to find her own special place to store her love letter, just like her mom had stored hers twenty odd years earlier.

***

"I have a question," Jessica stated as they peddled together on the stationary bikes. Bella nodded and tried not to be obvious about running out of breath. Her legs felt like they were about to fall off but Jessica was still going strong eight miles into their workout.

"Let's say you saw a really cute bag at Neiman Marcus, and it was on sale. And you told your boyfriend about it and how you were going to go back that weekend to buy this bag. And your boyfriend had a fit. He went on and on for ten minutes about a grasshopper and an ant, and then told you that you didn't know how to save money and couldn't possibly need another bag. Instead, you're supposed to give him the $60 you were going to spend and let him invest it in some stock so that when you're old and gray, your $60 will have turned into $100 instead. What would you do?"

"Wait…this is all hypothetical?" Bella puffed out.

"Ok, it's for me. I really want this bag, Bella. It's cute. It's blue. It's Dooney & Bourke on sale. Do I really need to say anything else? Why doesn't Marcus understand?"

"Because he's not a girl," Bella replied. Deciding that she'd had enough peddling, she slowed her pace on the machine until it came to a stop. Her shirt clung to her body and she felt gross and dirty.

"Still, it's my money. I should be able to spend it how I want to."

"That's true, but it sounds like he's just trying to look out for your best interest. That's part of the reason why you like him so much, right? You have to let him do his thing, Jess."

Jessica muttered a few expletives before peddling even harder on the bike.

"I've got so much work to do today," Bella groaned, leaning her head against the handlebars.

"School keeping you busy? I thought teachers had it easy."

Bella barked out a laugh. "Please. I probably end up working a 10-hour day every day between actual school time, the clubs that I'm helping out with, then the homework and papers that need to be graded, and the lessons plan I have to make. I knew it would be like this, but sometimes I get so tired."

"You're not thinking about quitting at the end of the school year?" Jessica asked incredulously.

Bella shook her head. "No, ultimately I love my job. But I am looking forward to having the summer off."

"Have you and Edward made plans?"

Bella chewed on her lip. "No. We're waiting to see what happens with this jazz tour. If something more comes from it, he'll most likely be back on the road again." Bella pushed down the flare of pain at the thought of Edward being away again.

"Maybe you could go with him. You wouldn't have school and that would be better than sitting around here all summer. Not that I wouldn't miss you." Jessica was still peddling away, and Bella was astounded by her stamina yet again. She had no idea where she got all the energy.

"I'm going to head on home. I have some extra lesson plans to write up so I'm going to get to school early."

"Extra lesson plans? Why?"

Bella paused before leaning in close to her friend. "Can you keep a secret?"

Jessica's eye grew wide but she nodded her head emphatically.

"The school was nominated for some hot shot award – the diamond award or something. Anyway, they're sending some people to the school to evaluate us and I need to have a spectacular lesson plan at the ready in case they observe one of my classes. But you can't tell a soul, Jessica. I'm serious." Bella trusted Jessica implicitly. If she asked her to keep this a secret, then she would.

"That sounds like a big deal!" Jessica remarked with excitement.

"It is! Emmett's been walking around school like the cat that caught the canary. If we win, the school gets a cash prize and free national publicity."

"That's really great, Bella," Jessica said.

"Thanks." Bella felt relieved being able to share that with someone. She was nervous about possibly having to teach in front of some adults, but being able to talk about it with Jessica hammered home the importance of doing the best job she can. She waved a quick goodbye to Jessica and Jack before slipping out the door to head home.

***

A few days later, Bella returned home to find another FedEx letter shoved into her apartment door. This time, she didn't even wait until she got into the apartment. She tore it open with glee, tossing the shredded cardboard to the ground without a care. Just like before, a plain white envelope was inside with her name written beautifully across the front.

This letter began with the words "Rakas Bella" and ended with "Minä rakastan sinua." Bella took her time and read through the letter. She turned red when she got to the part where Edward explained in detail one of the things he would do the minute he got home. Bella could only hope they were alone when that happened. It would be difficult to explain to his parents otherwise.

Checking the date on the letter, Bella realized he must have been in Finland when he wrote it. That's where they'd had their first jazz festival performance and Edward thought it had gone really well. She tapped the envelope against her chin while she tried to figure out the words she didn't understand. She could only guess that he'd written something to her in Finnish. She hurried into her apartment and unzipped her laptop case. She took off her coat while she waited for the internet to come up.

She quickly typed in the last phrase of the letter and smiled at what the online translator came up with. She dug her phone out of her bag and called Edward. She went right to voice mail and she realized with a start that they were probably still on stage or at whatever festival they were working that night. She listened to his voicemail message and when it beeped said, "I love you too. I got the letter. Should I expect one from every country? Call me back, please?"

Bella put the phone down and picked the letter up again. Some of the words were smeared towards the bottom of the page and she imagined Edward's thumb swiping accidentally across the page before the ink had dried completely. With a sigh she pushed back from the table and set about to get her dinner ready.

She was halfway through an episode of "How I Met Your Mother" when her phone rang. She quickly turned off the TV to give Edward her full attention.

"Hi!" She practically shouted into the phone in her enthusiasm to talk to Edward.

"Hi yourself! Did you like the letter?"

"I love the letter, but you knew I would. You're so sweet, Edward. How was the performance tonight?" Bella settled back against the couch to get more comfortable.

"It was great! The crowds here are so different. They really get into the music. I was afraid with us being American that the music wouldn't translate or they'd have some weird pre-conceived notion about what we'd be like, but it's been nothing like that." His voice vibrated with the excitement of his words.

"That's great! How's the rest of the band?"

Edward paused and Bella already knew the answer. "It's difficult performing with people who just want to fight all the time."

"Oh, Edward. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Edward said, the buoyancy escaping from his voice. "Riley's doing his best to keep everyone on track. I'm sure it will be fine."

"I have good news," Bella said, wanting to bring back some of the happiness to their phone call. "We qualified for the Scrabble tournament. It's in two weeks and the whole club's going. Alice said she'd come with me for moral support."

"Two weeks? That's the 21st right?" Edward said nervously.

"Yeah…why?"

"I just wanted to make sure that you leave the 14th open and free."

It was Bella's turn to pause and think. "Oh, Valentine's Day," she said without any enthusiasm. It figured that her boyfriend would be away for the very first time ever she'd be able to celebrate a Valentine's Day.

"I have something special planned, so keep your phone at the ready on Saturday."

Bella agreed and wished Edward a good night moments later. She knew the next day was a travel day for them and he'd have to be up in a few hours to hop a plane to their next destination. Bella wondered when her next letter would arrive.

***

Bella arranged the four letters she'd received in a neat row on the kitchen table. Each one was written on the same off-white paper. Each began with the words "Dear Bella" and ended with "I love you." Though, each greeting and closing was written in a different language. So far, she had samples of English, Finnish, Swedish and Spanish, and she expected one from Italy any day now. She missed Edward more now that she had two weeks ago at the beginning of his trip, but they were at the halfway point now. Bella was confident that she could last another fourteen days.

Her doorbell rang and Bella looked up in surprise. She wasn't expecting any visitors, and she'd already worked out with Jessica and Jack that morning. Jack had turned into chatty Cathy over the past two weeks, which amused Bella. It was like he'd been saving up all his conversation since she first moved into the apartment complex. He was a sweet man, but he seemed lonely. His wife had died over the summer and he seemed lost.

The person standing at her door was the last person she ever expected to find there. "Good morning, Rosalie," Bella said as she opened the door wider. "Would you like to come in?"

Rosalie was of course dressed to perfection. Even at 10:00 on a Saturday morning, she wore heels, a skirt and a silk blouse. George sat happily on her hip and she smiled at Bella as she bounced the baby. "Thank you," she replied as she followed Bella into the living room.

Bella looked around quickly to see if there was anything George could get into. Her apartment was not baby-proofed, but she didn't see anything that would obviously cause harm to an inquisitive baby.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Bella asked, rubbing her elbow nervously.

"No, I'm fine. I'm sorry to barge in on you like this, but I was actually nearby on an errand and I wanted to stop by and see you. We don't spend a lot of time together."

Bella nodded in understanding. Edward's sister-in-law continued to be an enigma. Here she sat, dressed like she was going to lunch with a group of girlfriends, yet George sat happily on her lap, chewing on her pearls and drooling all over her expensive-looking shirt.

"Emmett doesn't know I'm here. I'm hoping this visit can stay just between the two of us?" Rosalie asked. Something flashed across her face, and Bella almost didn't recognize the emotion that she saw there. Rosalie had never seemed vulnerable to her, but in that moment she saw something in her eyes that made Bella think that Rosalie wasn't completely sure of herself and what she was doing.

"What did you want to talk about?" Bella asked, more curious than anything at the moment.

"Edward," Rosalie replied before setting George down on the floor. The dark-headed child immediately crawled over to the TV stand and plopped his butt down on the floor in front of it.

Bella laughed. "Does he want to watch TV?"

"If you don't mind," Rosalie replied. "Do you get Nickelodeon? He's completely obsessed with 'Back at the Barnyard.'"

Bella switched on the TV and stared in amazement as George became entranced with the talking barnyard animals. "Isn't he a little young to be so engrossed in a TV show?" She asked.

Rosalie smiled and sat up even straighter. "He's very advanced for his age. He's smart – just like his dad."

Bella nodded and continued to watch the child in front of the TV.

"Bella," Rosalie said. Bella turned her head back and focused on her instead of the child. "I wanted to talk to you about Edward. I know this isn't my place, but I hoped that I could give you an outsider's perspective on the situation."

"Um, ok," Bella said, scrunching her nose in confusion. She wasn't sure what the situation was but she was willing to hear Rosalie out.

"I know you don't see it, but Edward is completely different now from when I first met him. When he was in college, he was the typical tortured genius artsy type. He had all these big ideas about the future of music and how no one appreciated the classics anymore. I don't pretend to understand half of what he said, but he was always more impassioned about playing and writing than anything else. I've met a few of his other girlfriends, and they were really not impressive human beings."

Bella tried not to cringe, but Rosalie was heading into territory that she didn't want to know about. "I'd really rather not hash out Edward's other girlfriends."

Rosalie looked at her in understanding. "Don't worry, that's not really what I want to talk about anyway. My point is, Edward was completely different from who he is today. After that whole unfortunate mess at the school, he disappeared and it tore the Cullens apart. Emmett had enormous guilt over his role in everything. He blamed himself for not putting more trust in his brother and not seeing the situation before it had escalated to that point at all. Carlisle and Esme were distraught. They felt like they'd lost their son. Esme begged Edward for two years to come home. We're still not sure what finally changed his mind, but when he came back he was like a stranger."

Bella sat on the edge of the sofa now, completely engrossed in Rosalie's words. She'd heard most of this already, but Rosalie really did have the unique ability to piece it all together for her.

"Edward rarely spoke, and certainly not about music. He never smiled, never talked about the future anymore. He was a hollow imitation of himself. And then one day, you came along, and it was like we saw pieces of the old Edward again. He smiled, he talked, he laughed. Bella, it's all because of you that we have Edward back. And he's so much easier to get along with now than before," Rosalie said with a quiet laugh.

"Because he doesn't talk about music all the time?" Bella asked with a grin.

"Mostly. He talks about you a lot now instead. And you're infinitely more interesting that Miles Davis' role in the development of the cool jazz sound."

Bella smiled, enjoying a rare compliment from Rosalie.

"We love you, Bella. We don't want to see you or Edward hurting anymore. But, I can sense that something's holding you back. And I want to reassure you of Edward's character."

Bella laughed out loud in astonishment. "You're here to vouch for Edward?" Rosalie visibly bristled, and Bella immediately wanted to take back her outburst. "I'm sorry, please continue."

"Edward Cullen is a good man. Once he sets his mind to something, nothing will change it. He loves you Bella and even though he's acted like a complete douchebag recently, he will never intentionally hurt you. You have nothing to fear from Edward. Let him make you happy."

Bella turned her attention to the TV while she pondered Rosalie's words. It was true – she had been holding back. She'd thrown herself completely into her relationship with Edward at first, and it had been painful when he'd turned around and basically used that against her. She just didn't realize how obvious she'd been since their return to Bear Lake. She thought she'd done a good job of acting the same way as she always had.

"I love him, Rosalie," she finally admitted. "And Edward's done an excellent job of proving himself to me. Truthfully, I'm not sure what's holding me back at this point other than fear." It felt awkward admitting her secrets to Rosalie. Usually, this was a conversation Bella would be having with Alice.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rosalie rise elegantly from the chair and make her way slowly to take the seat next to Bella on the couch. She sat so close that their knees knocked together when she sat down. "Bella, don't ever let fear hold you back. Like I said before, I've never seen Edward like this before. You're good for him and I have a feeling that he's good for you too."

Bella nodded. "He is good for me."

For the second time that morning, Bella's doorbell rang. Rosalie looked at her expectantly and Bella only shrugged in confusion. "I seem to be popular today."

When she opened the door, she was greeted by a man holding two huge bouquets of flowers. "Isabella Swan?" The man asked, before setting down one of the vases and pulling a clipboard out from underneath his arm. "Sign here," he said without much enthusiasm. Bella could see the florist delivery truck that was idling in the parking lot and realized that the poor man probably had hundreds of deliveries to make on Valentine's Day.

Bella signed her name and realized that he probably expected a tip too. "Let me grab my purse," she said, turning to head back into the apartment.

The man stopped her. "It's already taken care of ma'am. Have a nice day." He handed her the enormous vases and jogged down the steps back to the truck.

Bella managed to close the door behind her with her foot as she struggled underneath the weight of four dozen tulips. Her load was lightened a moment later when Rosalie grabbed one of the vases from her hand.

"Thanks," Bella said as they placed the vases on the kitchen table.

"I take it tulips are your favorite flower?" Rosalie asked.

Bella nodded and sniffed the buds with a huge smile on her face. "They are. I just didn't know that Edward knew that."

"Looks like someone did his homework. They're lovely, Bella. Well, I'd better get home before Emmett starts wondering where I am. Thanks for letting me stop by. I enjoyed our little chat."

Bella turned away from the flowers and looked at Rosalie in an entirely new light. "You know, I enjoyed it too. We should get together more often."

"I have a feeling we will be. I'll talk to you later."

Bella followed Rosalie and George to the door and watched as she easily maneuvered the steps while carrying a heavy child on her hip. Bella was surprised by her visit with Rosalie. She'd never expected to find any common ground with her, but Rosalie had hidden depths that made her want to get to know her better.

Bella hurried back to the kitchen to admire her flowers some more. Any man could have sent roses on Valentine's Day. Only Edward took the time to sniff out her favorite flowers and send them to her while he was in Europe no less. She dug out her phone and sent him a quick message to let him know that she'd received them. He was in Germany that day and probably getting ready to go on stage. He'd promised to call her around 1:00 central time and she didn't want to disturb him.

She found herself humming as she waited out the time before he called. She was in a good mood, despite the fact that she was alone on Valentine's Day. Yes, she would have preferred to have spent the day with Edward, but he occupied almost her every thought and she was clearly on his mind too. For now, that was good enough.

She had finished grading some papers when her phone rang exactly at 1:00. Excitement coursed through her body as she answered the phone. Hearing Edward's voice was the next best thing to having him there with her.

"Edward," she said, gripping the phone hard. "The flowers are beautiful."

Instead of Edward's voice she was greeted by what sound like a thousand voices milling in the background. Was he still out at the jazz festival? He usually waited to call her until he got back to his hotel. "Edward?" She asked again.

"Bella," Edward finally replied, though it sounded like he was shouting in order to be heard over the crowd. "Are you ready for your surprise?"

"Um, I guess so," Bella said, with some trepidation.

"Great!" He replied enthusiastically. "I have to put the phone down, so just hang with me."

Bella listened as the background noise slowly disappeared and all she could hear was silence. Bella looked around the kitchen, wondering how long his surprise was going to take before they could talk again. Then, she heard the quiet chords of the piano through the phone and realized that Edward must be playing her a song. She swayed back and forth to the music, wondering what song he had picked to play, when she heard something she never thought she'd hear: Edward's tenor voice, singing clearly through the phone.

Bella heard him playing the piano all the time, but he'd never sung for her before. When he got to the chorus of the song, Bella laughed out loud at the corniness of it. Edward was singing "That's Amore." His voice was strong and beautiful and Bella instantly wished that he would sing more often for her. The rest of the band soon joined in, but Bella concentrated on the sound of the piano and Edward's voice.

All the love and emotion that had been locked inside burst out and Bella begun to laugh and cry all at once. This man loved her. He loved her enough to step outside of his comfort zone to play and sing a song that he would probably never want to perform otherwise. Just in an effort to prove how much he loved her. She must be crazy to think that she couldn't love him back just as fully.

Rosalie had been right after all: Bella had nothing to fear. Edward spent every moment proving his love to her and it was past time she showed him all the love she had to give too.

On the final chorus of the song, Edward's voice was joined by what sounded like thousands of people. With a start, Bella realized that he must still be on stage. She could make out the voices in accented German trying to sing the old Dean Martin Italian love song, and it made her laugh and cry even harder. She wondered how Edward had convinced a room full of German jazz enthusiasts to go along with this. Someday, she would find out.

When the song was finished, Edward picked the phone back up and said, "Did you like it?"

"Edward, I loved it. Thank you. I love you so much," she said as she started to cry in earnest.

"Hey, no crying. I'll let everyone here now how much you liked it and I'll call you again later, ok?"

"Ok," Bella sniffled into the phone.

"I love you Bella," he said before they hung up.

In that moment, Bella was done hiding. She was done fighting. She was done being stupid and questioning everything that Edward did. She was ready to love him completely. Now all she had to figure out was how she could show him all of that.

* * *

A/N: What did you think of the love letters? Don't remember them from an earlier chapter? Re-read chapter 20. They're in there.


	33. Chapter 33

A/N: Most of you are pretty upset with Bella. It seems like she's done a bad, bad thing. Then again, who hasn't told one of their girlfriends something that they shouldn't? We'll have to see how that plays out.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I am the proud owner of two new shirts. Not very exciting, but when you're trying to pay for private school, it's a big deal to splurge on yourself.

* * *

During her four years at Forks High School, Bella never stepped foot into the principal's office. She visited the main office a few times to turn in absent notes or discuss her schedule with the guidance counselor, but Bella never got into trouble at school.

Becoming a staff member changed all that. The part about visiting the principal's office at least. She'd had a few meetings with Emmett in his office over the course of the school year, including the infamous one right before winter break when she'd bared her claws. She'd yet to have been called into his office because she was in trouble.

When the intercom in her classroom squawked on in the middle of her lesson on life in New England in the mid-1800's, Bella froze. The main office rarely used the intercom system; it was too much of a distraction to the learning process. Every once in a while, Betty was forced to use the intercom and it always brought a screeching halt to that day's lesson.

"Miss Swan," Betty called out, loud enough for the entire second floor to hear.

Bella stepped away from the whiteboard so she could stare at the small box that hung above the door. She couldn't see the person behind the voice, but it was instinct to look at the source. "Yes, Mrs. Trips?" She responded loudly as her students shuffled their papers and feet excitedly at the unexpected distraction.

"Mr. Cullen would like to see you during your free period."

A chorus of "Oohhs" sprung up around the room. Bella's face turned beet red and she ducked her head quickly at her sudden embarrassment.

"Ok. Thank you Mrs. Trips," Bella replied, thankful when the intercom shut off again. She turned her back to the class in order to will her blush away. She hated that her skin was so fair and susceptible to emotion. She might as well put a blinking sign over her head that read "awkward."

Bella managed to get the class back on track and salvage the rest of her lesson before the bell rang. As her students shuffled out of the room, a few of them cast understanding looks her way. Bella chuckled as she realized they probably thought she had been summoned to the office because she was in trouble. She seriously doubted that was actually the case.

Betty looked up when Bella entered the office. "He'll be right with you," she said as she pointed to one of the red-cushioned metal chairs lining the opposite wall. Bella was amused as she sat on the one nearest the door. Here was the exact scenario she'd managed to avoid all her life.

She watched Betty scurry back and forth across the office, her hair escaping the confines of her bun. Her reading glasses swung frantically from the gold safety chair she wore around her neck. It was clearly a busy day at Cullen Academy.

Emmett's door opened and he greeted her with a smile. "Miss Swan! Come on in." He held the door wide open and she started to ask him about their dinner plans with Rosalie when she spotted the two students sitting in the visitor's chairs inside the office. She snapped her mouth shut and put her teacher face back on.

Emmett closed the door and took his chair behind the desk. "This is Eden and Beckett. They're senior band students and they have a request to make of you." Emmett nodded to the girl, who sat closest to the door. She sat ramrod straight in the chair, her hands clasped neatly in her lap.

"Thank you, Big Bear," Eden said to Emmett before turning to face Bella. "The band put together a few things we wanted to send to Mr. Cullen. Big Bear said that you have a care package you're sending to him and we were wondering if you would mind including our items as well."

Bella was amused by the girl's preciseness and commanding presence. She clearly held some position of authority in whatever band hierarchy Edward had arranged and was proud of it. The boy who sat to her side was her complete opposite. He sat slumped in his chair with one leg slung over the arm rest. He twirled a drumstick in one hand and his foot beat a matching staccato rhythm against the carpeted floor. He gave the appearance of not even paying attention to the conversation; his eyes had been trained on the picture on the wall behind Emmett's head since Bella had entered the room. When he spoke, it made all of them jump. "I threw in the latest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue too," Beckett said with a laugh and a toss of the drumstick.

Eden rolled her eyes and glared at Beckett as he caught the drumstick in a fluid motion. "Real mature, Beckett." She turned back to Bella, giving Beckett her back yet again. "It's not a lot so it won't take up too much room. Just a card and a CD of the progress the concert band has made this month on the pieces he left to be worked on."

Bella glanced at the items that rested on Emmett's desk. They were indeed small enough to fit into the FedEx box she would be shipping that afternoon. "I think Ed-, Mr. Cullen will love them. Thank you for thinking of him."

Eden glowed under the slight praise. Bella almost wanted to pat her on the head.

"Alright then, Eden, Beckett, you can go back to your class now. Mrs. Trips will write you a pass." Emmett held the door open for the students and closed it again once they were gone.

"They seem like nice kids," Bella commented, taking the chair that Eden had just vacated.

"They are. I know both of them well, but for different reasons. Anyway, thanks again for taking care of this. They came to me this morning wanting an address for Edward in Europe. I knew you were sending your package out this afternoon, and it just made sense."

Bella nodded her head. "It's not a problem. I do have a question though: does this count as a family-related discussion? Because if so, you're breaking your own rules right now, Big Bear."

Emmett laughed in that loud, booming way of his. "I guess I am. Sometimes, it's good to break the rules. By the way, Rosalie said dinner is at six sharp and not to be late. I think she meant the warning more for me than you, but just in case…"

"I'll be there by six. So long as our staff meeting doesn't run long today."

"It shouldn't. Just some new notes about the judging committee that's coming next week." Emmett rubbed his hands together like he was excited about something.

"You're really looking forward to this aren't you?" Bella asked as she stood. She gathered the card and CD case before crossing to his door.

"I am. I've been trying to get us nominated for years. This will be such a coup if we win, Bella." Emmett's face was almost as bright as Eden's had been moments earlier.

"I hope we do, Emmett. I'll see you later," she called out as she made her way back to her room to finish out her free period. She had a care package to finish putting together.

***

Bella's cell phone chirped as she and Alice walked into the school gym that was hosting the Chicago Regional Scrabble Tournament. A quick glance told her it was from Edward, and as always, it brought a smile to her face.

She looked sheepishly at Alice. "He's just wishing me good luck." Bella sent him a quick reply before turning off her phone completely. "Thanks for coming with me," she told Alice as they stood in the short line at the registration table.

"Not a problem. I only wish that you had let me bring my bullhorn. I could really psych your opponents out with that thing." Alice crossed her arms over her chest in disgruntlement.

"Yes, but you would have run the risk of distracting me during my turn. You're here for moral support only, Alice." It had taken Bella ten minutes to convince her that a Scrabble tournament was the last place a bullhorn needed to be. Jasper had finally pried it out of her hands and lovingly pushed her out the door.

"I will support you with all the morals that I possess. Now, go break a leg or something!" Alice turned on her heel and made her way to the bleachers where a few other spectators were milling about before the action began.

"Your friend has a lot of spirit," Josh said as he appeared at her side.

"It's only annoying first thing in the morning," Bella replied. They watched as Alice inserted herself into a small circle of three women and immediately started flailing her arms about as she described something in detail. The women watched her with equal parts fascination and confusion.

"Is she single?" He asked as the line moved up another person.

Bella shook her head. "Married."

"Hmm," he replied as he continued to stare at Alice. "That's disappointing."

"Not to Alice," Bella replied. Alice would probably find it funny that Josh was interested in her. She didn't see men that way anymore, or so she told Bella. All she saw was Jasper. It was like that for Bella too. Edward was all she wanted or needed. "Your friend Rachel seems nice." Bella had thought there was something else between the two of them, but maybe not if he was asking about Alice's availability.

Josh barked out a laugh. "Nice is not the word I'd use. She's ferocious. She's determined. She's obviously gorgeous, but she would chew me up and spit me out. I'm safer as just a friend."

It was Bella's turn to laugh. "She didn't seem like any of those things when I met her."

"Appearances can be deceiving," he said cryptically. "She was actually going to stop by today but she had a family emergency. She kept asking if you were going to be here today."

"Me?" Bella said with some surprise. They'd hardly spoken to one another that night at the bar.

They had finally reached the front of the line and Josh took a minute to fill out the short registration form before replying. "She just seems really interested in you. If I didn't know any better, I'd think she had a crush on you." Josh winked at her before he walked away to join their other club members who had arrived.

Josh's revelation tickled a memory in the back of her mind. Edward had told her that Rachel had seemed interested in her once before. The night at the bar – she'd been trying to get information out of Edward about her. What was the sudden interest? Was she trying to use Bella to get to Edward? Bella resolved to put more thought into the matter later – after the Scrabble tournament.

***

Bella fell into a deep sleep that night. After the tournament, she'd gone out for a victory dinner with Alice, Jasper, Jessica and the reclusive Marcus. Bella had only met him once before, but he was a charming man. He was just as Jessica had described him: slightly more mature, old-fashioned manners and eyes only for Jessica. Bella was glad to see how happy the two of them were together.

She'd won three out of five of her matches and Bella felt a keen sense of accomplishment. She wished her dad had been there to play right alongside her; it was thanks to him that she was a capable Scrabble player. Regardless, she had a fun day but the competition had drained her mind and her body, leaving her exhausted.

She dreamt of an island. She and Edward were there. The water was warm and the sun was hot. In the background, there was a soft thumping sound that replaced what should have been the sound of the waves breaking against the shore. Edward turned to her when the noise stopped and brushed his fingers against her cheek. Bella leaned into his hand, absorbing the heat of his body through that small point of contact. He called her name softly and Bella rolled into his embrace.

Her hand lifted and palmed his cheek, the stubble of his beard a welcome abrasion against her skin. "Edward," she whispered as she nudged his mouth towards hers. His lips covered hers and Bella nearly melted from the heat that shot through her body. Hotter than Death Valley, hotter than the sun, hotter than a lightning strike; Edward's mouth on any part of her body set her ablaze.

She slipped her tongue inside his mouth, and he tasted like coffee. Edward groaned and the sound vibrated inside her mouth, waking Bella from her dream. She came completely awake when she realized she was not alone.

"Bella, don't stop," Edward pleaded against her mouth.

Bella scrambled to sit up as she realized that Edward was actually in bed with her. "Edward? What are you doing here?" Her mind struggled with the confusion of dreaming about him and waking up actually in his arms. "You're not supposed to be home until next Saturday!"

Edward sighed as Bella leaned across the bed and flicked on the light. The soft glow was a painful contrast to the dark, but Bella had to make sure that Edward was really there in her room. If she was still dreaming, she didn't want it to end, but it would be a cruel illusion when she woke up alone again. Hesitantly, she placed both palms on his face, just to reassure herself that it was actually him. His flesh was real underneath her fingertips and she furiously blinked away the tears that threatened to spill.

"I missed you. I came home early. I expected you to be more excited to see me," he told her slowly, hesitantly.

"You're really here. Oh, Edward!" Bella flung herself into his arms and clutched him tightly against her chest. She held him tight for a moment before she pulled back and peppered kisses all over his face. "I'm so glad to see you," she said after she had kissed him hello properly.

Edward's arms tightened around her waist and he smiled. "That's more of the welcome home I'd been expecting."

"What happened? I thought you had another performance next week? Why didn't you call and tell me you were coming home – I would have picked you up from the airport." Bella's words came out in a rush as she tried to make sense of the fact that Edward was actually in her bedroom and not thousands of miles away on a different continent.

He chuckled at her enthusiasm. "The performance was cancelled and I didn't see much point in bumming around Europe any longer. I didn't call because I didn't decide until about 15 hours ago that I was going to come home, and besides I like to surprise you."

"I'm not a big fan of surprises," Bella murmured against his chest. His hands stroked over her back as she nestled into the familiar and comfortable embrace of his arms.

"I guess you won't like what I have planned for us then," he said as she stiffened in his arms.

"What do you have planned?" Bella asked quietly. Edward's surprises weren't really all that bad, but planning things ahead of time had its benefits as well.

"You, me, my parents' cabin and no interruptions," he said as his stroking hands began to move from her back to her sides.

"That sounds like a good surprise," Bella said, her voice suddenly rough. She cleared her throat and pulled back to look at his face. "And when is all this going to happen?"

Edward smiled like he knew that he had her right where he wanted her. Bella shivered at the other unspoken surprises she saw in his eyes. "We're going to leave right now," he said after a moment.

Bella blinked, looked at the clock on the bedside table and then back again at Edward. "But it's two o'clock in the morning."

"And I'm still on Poland time. Come on – you can sleep in the car," he pulled her hand gently as he slipped off the bed.

Bella slipped to the floor and stood staring at him dumbly. "Now – you really want to go now."

"Yep," Edward replied as he walked into her closet and reappeared with her small suitcase in hand. "You don't need to bring much. We won't be there long and I don't really plan on us leaving the cabin much at all." His eyes simmered as he stared at her bare legs underneath the t-shirt she'd worn to bed.

Bella crossed the room and ran her hands along his chest. "Are you sure you don't want to wait until morning? I know something I'd like to do before we go anywhere…"

Edward coughed but gently set her away from him again. Bella pouted and he turned his back on her to dig through her dresser. "I'll pick out clothes for you if you want me to Bella, but I can't promise that you'll like what I pick out." He pulled out the blue bikini that she'd worn New Year's Eve and held it up for inspection.

"Do they have a hot tub?"

Edward continued to stare at the bathing suit. "No, but I think I'd enjoy seeing you walk around for two days in just this."

Bella stalked over to the dresser and grabbed the bathing suit out of his hands. "I don't think so," she said, bumping him out of the way with her hip.

Edward chuckled and she knew she'd reacted just the way he wanted her to. She pulled out a pair of jeans, sweatpants, a t-shirt, and two sweaters and tossed them into the suitcase Edward had helpfully placed on her bed. "There," she said, turning around when she was finished, "are you happy?"

"Completely and utterly," he said as he took her in his arms again. His mouth fell onto hers and she sighed as his tongue swept inside. When he pulled back, he ran his thumb across her cheekbone. "Do you think you can call out sick on Monday?"

Bella's eyes had been closed while she recovered from his kiss, but they snapped open at his request. "I don't know," she said haltingly, "I've never called out sick before. Won't Emmett be mad?"

"What's to be mad about? People do get sick."

"Yeah, but I'm not sick. I'd just be playing hooky." Bella thought back to the week prior when she'd been called down to Emmett's office. How would he react if he knew she was faking just to spend time with Edward? She really didn't want to be summoned again.

"Come on, just this one time won't hurt anything. Besides, once Emmett figures out that I'm home, he won't hold it against you."

Bella wavered. She couldn't think of anything she'd rather do than spend time with Edward, especially since he'd been gone for three weeks. "It's only been twenty-one days," she said suddenly as she turned to pull on the pants she'd set out earlier to wear.

Edward frowned as he tried to follow her thought pattern. "Yes, only twenty-one."

"Our mantra's been wrong all along then. It would have seemed so much easier if we'd been saying 'only twenty-one days' from the beginning." She zipped up her suitcase and pulled it off the bed, but Edward's hand stopped her before she could carry it down the hall.

"Does this mean you're going to be bad and call out on Monday?" He took the suitcase out of her hand while he waited for her response.

Bella pursed her lips, while she pretended to ponder the question. She wanted nothing more than to sneak away with him. It was fun making him wait it out, but in the joy of having home early the words spilled out of her mouth sooner than she had expected them to. "Yes, but we'd better hurry before I change my mind."

"Yes, ma'am," Edward said as they walked down the hall together.

Bella had a new spring in her step as she anticipated spending time alone with Edward.

***

When Edward slid into Bella's warmth, he finally felt like he'd made it home. Landing at O'Hare hadn't felt like home. Walking into his empty townhouse hadn't felt like home. Finding Bella asleep in her bed had come pretty close, but as they began to move together as one, he got his first taste of what home was really like.

Her flushed naked body moved rhythmically underneath him. Her hair was damp and tendrils of it plastered against her forehead. The fire he'd made crackled quietly only feet from the makeshift bed they'd made on the floor. But nothing felt like home like being in Bella's arms, in her soul and at that moment in her body.

As he slid in and out, bringing them both closer to orgasm, he thought of all the ways he loved her. He thought of spending the rest of his life with her. He thought of the family they would someday raise together and he thought of growing old with her. He never needed anything more than Bella.

When he came, he groaned deeply, the sound of it loud in the small front room of the cabin. He emptied his seed inside of her and felt complete for the first time in weeks. Bella's cries joined his and he pumped his waning erection as her muscles clenched around him. He collapsed on top of her moments later and fell asleep.

He woke only because his pillow had started to laugh. "Edward, I think we're tangled." The pillow spoke too, and Edward grinned against the soft skin that pressed against his face. He stuck his tongue out and licked the nipple that was in his direct line of sight. The giggling stopped and was replaced by a sigh.

"Before you get any ideas there Romeo, we need to get your hair untangled from my necklace."

Edward frowned as he tried to sit up, but gave a yelp when he felt a sharp tugging from the side of his head. He reached his hands around to try to separate them, but Bella smacked them away.

"I'm almost done. Hold still."

Edward laid his head back down on her breast, not sad in the least to be forced to place his head against such a beautiful sight. "I think I missed this most of all," he told her as her hands continued to gently pry his hair out of her necklace.

"My breasts?" She asked with a laugh.

"Well, those too, but no. This." He wrapped his arms around her the best he could in their awkward position. "Just being able to hold you. Knowing that you're there right next to me."

"Edward," Bella breathed his name out like it was a caress against his skin. "I will always be right next to you. I've missed this too. I didn't realize how much I needed all the little things that you do."

"Did you get us detangled?" Edward asked, needing to really feel her in his arms.

"Yes," Bella whispered.

Edward sat up and pulled her into his lap, looping his arms around her small body. She leaned her head against his chest and Edward placed his head on top of hers. He rocked them back and forth slowly, just wanting to enjoy the feel of her in his arms.

"I love you Bella," he began, needing to get something important off his chest. She started to repeat the sentiment, but Edward placed his finger against her lips. "I love you and I don't think I can spend this much time away from you again. I love performing but I need to be with you." He felt her wiggle in his arms and knew that she was getting ready to work up a speech about him needing to do what he loved. "Playing with the band was fun at first, but we've lost the energy we used to have. I don't know if it's because everyone seems to be fighting, or if some of the guys just aren't that into it anymore, but it's not working out. We talked, and we're not going to play together anymore."

"Edward..." Bella started, but Edward wasn't finished yet.

"Wait, let me finish. You know what I really loved? Playing the clubs around town. And I can do that on my own; I don't need a five-piece band to back me up. My goals and dreams have changed since I met you and I don't want a life on the road. It sounded pretty damn exciting when I was younger, but that was before you came along and I realized how exciting our life can be together." Edward rubbed his cheek against her hair, hoping that she would understand through osmosis if not through his words how much he just needed to be with her. "There are lots of things I can do in Chicago, Bella. I can compose – Seth's friend in London loved what we showed him. I could set up a music workshop for musicians to join. That would actually be fun – collaborating with the band was one of my favorite parts of working with them and I could do that with other people in that type of environment. My point is that I just want to be wherever you are. If you're here, then I'll be here too. If you want to move back to Forks, then I'll follow you. If you want to give it all up and move to the islands and wear that blue bikini every day, I will gladly follow you there too."

Edward felt the shaking of her limbs as she laughed quietly in his arms. He tightened his hold on her and had to bite his tongue against what he almost said next. He didn't want to propose to her like this. Naked on the floor of his parents' cabin. He wanted the ring first too. The moment was so close to being perfect, but he would force himself to wait. For Bella, he would wait forever.

"I just want you to be happy," Bella said against his chest. She pulled back and Edward pushed the hair that had fallen into her eyes out of her face. "Please don't give up on your dreams just for me. If you want to go professional, you could do it on your own. You're that good, Edward. And you could still compose while you're on the road, so that wouldn't be a problem either."

Edward frowned as a sudden thought hit him. "Do you not want me around?" He asked, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice.

"I always want you around, but I don't want you to give up on this just for me." Her dark eyes pleaded with him and he knew she was telling the truth. There was nothing devious or underhanded about his Bella.

"It's not just for you. It's for me too. This will make me happy. I have some time to figure out what I want to do. But, I'm not going back to Cullen Academy next year, Bella. My days of teaching kids how to play scales and stay in tune are over."

"You didn't hate that though," Bella said with a knowing look on her face. She knew him so well.

"I didn't hate that, but I feel like I have more to offer."

"You have a lot more to offer," Bella said as she placed her head against his chest again.

Edward looked forward to the day when he would offer himself to her. She could have everything that he had. He was worthless without her.

Dinner that night turned into a messy, sauce-splattered disaster. Edward dug out a jar of sauce and a box of spaghetti, and they attempted to make dinner together. Bella's mistake was putting him in charge of the sauce. In retrospect, he probably should have paid more attention to the bubbling pot on the stove and less to the back of Bella's neck, but really, was there any competition? They'd both jumped away from the stove when the sauce started bubbling out of the pot in angry bubbles, like a volcano erupting after being dormant for decades. Since Edward was closest to the stove, he managed to turn off the burner but made the mistake of grabbing the hot pot bare-handed. With a yelp, he dropped the pot and its contents onto the floor, further splattering the sauce all over the kitchen. After making sure that he hadn't seriously burned his hands, Bella had started laughing hysterically.

"It wasn't that funny," Edward said as stood at the sink, holding his hands under a steady stream of cold water.

"It's only funny because it's so absurd. Who ruins spaghetti sauce? Not that I'm blaming you, but that all by itself is funny."

Edward pouted and turned his body away from her. "Not everyone can be a great cook like you," he muttered under his breath, but loud enough for her to hear. It bothered him that he couldn't master the cooking thing. And she was right – it shouldn't be difficult to heat up a jar of sauce.

"Hey," she said softly, placing her hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry. I'm not making fun of you – just the situation. You're great at so many other things; don't let this one thing bring you down. Besides, it's part of what makes us a great team. I cook, you clean up." She looked pointedly at the sauce-splattered floor and cabinets then and Edward groaned.

"Can it wait until my hand stops throbbing?" He pleaded, making his eyes as big as possible.

"We can clean up together later," she said before she turned back to the spaghetti that was draining into the sink.

When his hand felt good enough to hold a fork, Bella dished them up two plates of spaghetti with butter and parmesan cheese. Carlisle and Esme must have used the cabin recently because there were some perishables still in the fridge that hadn't gone bad yet. Edward felt a twinge of disappointment in himself for not thinking to pick up groceries on the way, but he had a good excuse. All he'd been able to think about was getting Bella alone.

They ate quietly for a while, the scrape of their forks and the distant crackle of the fire from the other room the only sounds.

"You know that you've ruined our plans for a surprise party, right?" Bella asked as she cleaned her plate. Edward smirked as he thought of the things they'd done earlier that had worked up her appetite.

"A surprise party? Really?" He asked, wondering how much longer he could put off clean up duty. Maybe if he offered a distraction it could wait until tomorrow.

"Your mom and I were planning one for next Sunday," she said as she wiped her face with her napkin.

"She's going to be mad," Edward said as he realized that he'd deprived his mother of one of her favorite hobbies.

"Maybe we could turn it into a welcome back early party instead. I think she's already sent the evite out, so it would be rude to rescind it now."

Edward shook his head at his mom's technological savvy. "She loves evite. If we're not careful, she'll be Twittering and then the whole world will know everything we're up to."

Bella reached across the table and gently clasped his injured hand. "I think I prefer not to have my life as a wide-open book. I can't imagine some of the things your family's had to put up with over the years."

Edward's jaw tightened as he pondered one event that he wished had never, ever been written about in a newspaper. "I prefer it that way too."

Bella seemed lost in thought for a moment while she rubbed her thumb over his knuckles. Her mouth opened and she took a breath like she was about to say something, but then she sighed and looked out the window of the cabin instead.

"What is it?" Edward asked, suddenly nervous. She was clearly struggling with something that she wanted to tell him.

Her hand tightened slightly on his as her head turned around again. "Our Scrabble tournament was yesterday?" She asked questioningly, unsure whether Edward had remembered or not. He remembered; she'd sent him a text saying she'd won several of the rounds that she'd played. He nodded for her to continue. "Josh told me that his friend Rachel was supposed to come, the one who works at the newspaper?"

This time, Edward's hand was the one that tightened on hers. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like this. "What did she say to you?" He didn't try to hide the anger that crept into his voice.

Bella shook her head quickly. "No, she never showed up. She had a family emergency or something. But, Josh said that she wanted to talk to me. That she's been asking questions about me. I…it makes me nervous, Edward. I don't know what she wants and I'm afraid that I've put you at risk."

Edward dropped her hand and pushed back from the table. His inner asshole was trying to surface and he was pushing it back with all his strength. It wasn't Bella's fault that she'd attracted this kind of attention and it wasn't fair of him to blame her. She was just caught in the middle. "It's not your fault," he said, not knowing if he was trying to convince her or himself.

"What should we do?" She asked timidly as she tore off tiny pieces of her paper napkin.

"Nothing."

"Wait…what? Nothing? Shouldn't we, I don't know, talk to her or something? Ask her what she's up to?" Bella seemed incredulous but Edward was convinced that he was right.

"That's what she wants. We'll play right into her hands. She'll have her story and we'll look ridiculous. Let's just wait it out and stay as far away from her as possible."

Bella frowned as she went back to tearing at her napkin. "You don't want me going to Scrabble Club anymore."

"I didn't say that. She's not a member, right? So, maybe you could just stay away from the outside events where she's been popping up recently? I hate to ask you to do that, but I think it's for the best." In his experience, the best way to deal with the press was to ignore them. If he could get Bella to stay as far away from Rachel as possible, then she would lose her source of ammunition.

"What about Josh? You don't think he's feeding her information, do you?" Bella seemed oddly protective of Josh, like he was a family pet caught humping the neighbor's poodle.

"I don't know what to think about him, Bella. I barely know him, but he's not the one who's been trying to pry information out of you, so maybe he's ok." Edward was confused about the whole situation now. His hand throbbed and he was not looking forward to cleaning up the saucy mess they'd created in the kitchen. He was suddenly tired from it all and just wanted to go to bed.

"Edward, you look exhausted," Bella said as if she'd read his mind. "Go on to bed. I'll clean up here."

Edward smiled at looked up at her beautiful face. "I don't want to leave you. I'll help you. We can get it done in half the time if we do it together."

Bella patted his shoulder and crossed the kitchen. He stared at her back as she dug around in a cabinet, presumably for cleaning supplies. He was right; his life was much easier since he and Bella had started working as a team. He pushed out of his chair and joined her in the task of de-saucing the kitchen.

***

Edward felt oddly energized as he watched Bella place her "I'm sick and I can't come to work today" call to Emmett. She was, apparently, having a hard time convincing his brother that he shouldn't send Rosalie over with a tub of chicken soup or have Esme check up on her after her bridge club.

"Really, Emmett, it's not that serious. It's just a stomach bug. I really don't feel like having any visitors." Edward smiled at her as her eyes shot angry daggers at him. Edward was happy to have another day with her, and knew that she would come around once she found out what he had planned.

Bella ended the phone call and pretended to throw her cell phone at his head. Edward ducked in mock horror; he knew she wouldn't really throw it at him as she wasn't the violent type.

"Edward, that was horrible. Emmett was actually concerned about my health. He offered to come by and take me to the doctor. You have no idea how guilty I feel now." She pouted as he tugged her into his lap. She was wearing just a t-shirt and Edward happily crept his hand up her thigh.

"I can't believe you've never skipped school. This experience is going to liberate your soul. I also can't believe I'm about to tell you this, but go put some clothes on so we can start our day of illicit fun."

She jumped off his lap when his hand reached the inner curve of her ass. She was ticklish there and Edward got just the reaction he'd been hoping for. His eyes followed her across the bedroom and into the bathroom. She shut the door and Edward lay back down on the bed to await her reappearance.

He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew, Bella was standing over him, gently shaking his shoulder. He blinked his eyes a few times, clearing away the cobwebs that had settled in his mind. "Was I out for long?"

Bella shook her head. "Twenty minutes or so. Do you want to go back to sleep? I could work on my laptop in the other room." She stared at him with such love and compassion in her eyes that it took Edward's breath away. He knew without a doubt that being with her was the absolute right decision.

"Nah, we should get going." He sat up and scratched his chest, glad that the pain from the previous night's sauce incident had subsided. He was going to need his hands for what they were going to do. "You should bundle up. It's cold outside." He grinned as he plotted their course in his mind.

"Edward Cullen, that's an evil grin you have on your face. What are you up to?" She stood inches away, her hands planted on her little hips, trying to look ferocious. She only seemed like a kitten to him.

"I think you'll like it. I'm going to grab some things from the kitchen. I'll meet you on the back porch."

Edward kissed her once before walking out of the room and towards the kitchen. He quickly threw together some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and grabbed a bag of Doritos he'd found in the cupboard. He tossed them and two bottles of water into a bag and headed out to the back porch to put his gear on. He was waiting for Bella with a pair of gloves when she showed up five minutes later.

"What took you so long?" He asked, handing over the gloves while she stared at them in confusion.

"I have gloves," Bella said, pulling a pair of colorful hand-knitted gloves from her coat pocket.

Edward shook his head. "You need something to keep your hands warm and dry."

"Are we going to make a snowman?" She asked excitedly as she placed them on the bench that stood against the wall while she buttoned her coat.

"Not this time," he said with a laugh. "Were you looking for something inside the house?" Edward wondered if he should have told her specifically to dress in layers – they would get cold fairly quickly.

"I was looking for something to munch on other than a granola bar. I'm kind of hungry. Oh – you know what would taste good now? One of those danishes from the diner you like so much." She licked her lips and Edward was momentarily distracted by the action.

He took a deep breath and turned away, picking up the boots he'd found sitting on the porch. He handed them to Bella and she sat them next to the gloves. "They do have the best danishes. You have no idea how awesome it was to open up that package you sent me and find a bag of danishes. I think they were gone almost immediately," he said with a laugh.

Bella paused as she put her hat on. "I'm glad you liked it. Be sure to mention to the school band when you go back how much you liked their card and CD as well."

"I did have one question about that," Edward said as he went over in his mind the items that she'd sent him several days ago, "What was the Swimsuit issue all about? Did you want me to pick my favorite suit for you to wear? Because I marked a few pages that I wish you would consider..."

Bella groaned before he could say anything else, and then started laughing. "That kid – what's his name – Beckett. That was his contribution. I wonder how he sneaked it in."

Edward chuckled, not surprised in the least that it was from Beckett. "That sounds about right. He's actually a pretty funny guy. He's going to UMass next year. I wrote him a letter of recommendation. You could still take a look at the pages I marked if you want to."

"Uh, no thanks. That blue bikini is about as risqué as I'm going to get. So, I'm guessing that you want me to put these boots on?" Bella gestured to the items on the bench.

"Yes, please. Safety first," he replied in a sing-song voice. He felt lighter than he had in days. He hadn't realized how stressful his time away had actually been.

When Bella finished, he pulled her up and inspected her winter weather garb from head to foot. Hat, waterproof coat, gloves, jeans and boots. Snow pants would be better, but they would make do. He wouldn't keep them out too long. He held her hand as they walked down the snow-covered steps to the small backyard of the cabin. The cabin sat on one of the larger lakes in central Wisconsin and a snowmobile trail conveniently looped around about a half mile away from the property. As Edward unlocked the shed, Bella stood in the falling snow trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue. The sight made his heart clench.

After a quick perusal, he determined that the snowmobile was gassed up and ready to go. He grabbed the helmets off the pegs and set them on the seat so he could start the snowmobile. He pulled up on the kill switch, turned the key and gave a pull on the start cord. It came to life immediately, which was a relief. Sometimes when it sat unused for a while it took some finessing to get it started.

Bella's head peered inside at the loud noise. "Oh! We're going on a snowmobile," she said excitedly, just as Edward had hoped she would. Edward sat on the seat and inched the machine forward.

"Hop on!" He handed her a helmet and fastened his on as well. He felt her weight settle behind him on the seat and when she wrapped her arms around his waist, Edward grinned.

"Hold on!" He called out as he turned the throttle and they shot across the adjoining field and towards the trail.

The steady hum of the machine kept them from talking while Edward guided them through along the trail. He loved riding the snowmobile, and he was glad he'd finally found an opportunity to bring Bella along. They'd both been so busy and it had been difficult finding time for just the two of them before he left for the tour. They would have to make it a point in the future to make time for more weekends away like this one.

It was a cloudy day, and there was only a light snowfall. The trail was packed though and conditions weren't any more dangerous than usual. Since it was a workday, there weren't many other snowmobilers on the trail. Edward raised a hand in greeting to the few that they passed, but for the most part it was just him, the snow, the hum of the snowmobile, and the pleasant feel of Bella's warmth pressed against his back.

As they circled around the lake, Edward spotted their destination. It was a small cove that he and Emmett had discovered years ago. He guided them off the trail carefully and stopped once the trees became too thick to maneuver around. He hopped off and gave his hand to Bella to help her down as well.

"Edward, that was awesome! I was a little scared at first, but I got used to it. Can I try driving?" Her cheeks were flushed as she removed the helmet and her eyes sparkled with her excitement. Edward didn't think he could deny her anything at that moment.

"Sure, I'll give you a lesson after lunch." He grabbed the bag he'd stuck on the snowmobile earlier and took her hand. "Come on, there's something I want to show you."

The pine trees that lined the lake were tall and their needles bowed under the weight of the snow. Edward led them to the small cove and the rocks that rose out of the lake towards the sky. The outcropping provided a secluded cave that gave them a private view of the lake while also protecting them from the elements.

"Edward, this is beautiful," Bella whispered, running her hand along the rock's surface. "It's like a private grotto."

Edward dusted off a spot on the rocks and pulled out the blanket that he'd packed into the bag. Bella helped him lay it down on the spot he'd cleared and they sat down together on it in unison.

"I think my butt's going to get cold," Bella said, wincing at the shock of cold that had greeted them when they sat.

"We won't stay long. I just wanted to share this with you," Edward said as he pulled their lunch out of the bag. They quietly unwrapped their sandwiches then snuggled together while they ate. It was a fairly cold day and Edward was beginning to wonder if he should have left their excursion to warmer weather.

"What was it that you told me in the letter from Italy?" Bella said into the quiet snow and lake and trees that surrounded them. "'You fill my every thought, my every dream. Without you I would have no present or future.' That's exactly how I feel too, Edward. I can't imagine a future without you in it." Bella turned and pressed her chilled lips against Edward's, but he did his best to warm the both of them up again.

When Bella pulled away, her cheeks were pink for a different reason. "I loved all your letters, Edward. I wish I had written more to you."

Edward brushed the snow out of her hair. "The one you sent me said it all, Bella. It's part of the reason I rushed back on the first possible flight. I…Bella, I think it's time we talk about our future." Edward's chest constricted as he thought about what he was about to do. This was not how he'd imagined his proposal either, but the moment was too perfect to pass up. He turned to face the woman he loved and took her gloved hands into his own. Her eyes were wide as she stared up at him, and he could tell that she knew what was coming.

"Isabella…" Edward started.

"Hello? Is anyone back there?" A man's voice interrupted Edward's perfect marriage proposal and Edward gave a low curse. He smiled apologetically at Bella before he stood and exited their private hiding spot to see what the man wanted.

He was dressed in full-on snowmobile gear, and the intruder seemed friendly enough. "Hi, sorry to interrupt," he said, looking around Edward's back as Bella peeked her head around the side of the rocks. "I was passing by and saw the snowmobile parked on the side of the trail. I just wanted to warn you about the storm that's headed this way. Didn't want you folks getting trapped out here."

Edward heard Bella scurry against the rocks as she no doubt started gathering their things to make a quick getaway. The last thing they wanted was to be stranded out on the trail, miles away from the cabin.

"Thanks," Edward said as he put out his hand to shake the other man's. "Appreciate the head's up. We'll head on home now." The man nodded and headed back towards the trail.

Edward kicked at the snow at his feet. Was he ever going to get this proposal thing right? Maybe he should just go ahead and plan something. Fuck trying to find the right moment. At this rate, it'll be years before he found the right moment again.

Bella emerged from the rocks with their gear and Edward grabbed the bag from her. He put his arm around her as they walked back towards the snowmobile. "Let's go home," he said after a moment. He was ready to get back to real life, interruptions and all.


	34. Chapter 34

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

* * *

**Edward: Wednesday Evening**

"Hello? Mom – are you home?" Edward closed the heavy door behind him as he entered his parents' home. The usual sound of her heels clicking against the hardwood didn't meet his ears. Her perfume didn't waft down the stairs, announcing her imminent arrival. Edward wondered where she was. Her car was parked out front, so she either just got home or was just getting ready to leave.

After he had checked all the rooms on the first floor, Edward headed down the hallway to the back door. He found his mother seated on the patio, bent over a book. He pushed the door open slowly, not wanting to startle her.

"Mom?" He called as he stepped outside, into the cold early April wind that blew off Lake Michigan. He pulled his jacket tight around his body, wondering how his mother could stand sitting outside on such a cold spring day.

"Hello, Edward," she said, closing her book and turning to face him. "Have you been here long?"

"No, I just got here. Aren't you cold?" He rubbed his hands on his arms and stood with his back to the wind.

"I have my coat on and the wind doesn't bother me that much. I love how it blows in off the lake." She turned her face into the very wind that Edward was trying to hide from, and he was reminded yet again of their differences. It was part of the reason they got along so well though.

Edward cleared his throat and stepped closer to the ornate glass and iron table. "Mom, can I talk to you about something?"

She turned her face out of the wind and opened her eyes slowly. "Of course, have a seat," she said gesturing to the chair next to her.

"I'd rather stand," Edward said as he nervously pulled his hands out of his pockets and then picked at imaginary lint on his sleeve.

"What's on your mind, dear?"

"I've been doing a lot of thinking recently, and I've decided that I'm ready to propose to Bella." Edward paused and took a deep breath. His mother sat gracefully, her face giving away none of her thoughts. "We're ready for this step. I would like Grandmother's ring now. Please." At the moment, Edward was incredibly nervous.

His mother took her reading glasses off her face and slowly placed them on top of the book she'd been reading. When she turned back, there was a radiant smile on her face, which she quickly replaced with a frown.

"And how are you going to support you and your wife? Your father tells me that you gave the school your notice – you won't be back to teach in the fall. You don't plan to be a kept man, do you? Have Bella work to pay all the bills?" Her voice did not hold a hint of anger, but this was Esme's Platt practicality shining through. It rarely made an appearance, but when it did, you had better be prepared to rationalize.

Edward cleared his throat and stood a little taller, ready to go through the paces with his mother. "Seth and I have sold two compositions and we've been commissioned for two more. I have also been looking into space downtown that I could turn into a music workshop; it will have a studio, a small performance space, and practice rooms. I think it's something that the area really needs. I've also booked some solo gigs for the next few months. Mom, I won't have to rely on Bella to pay the bills. I feel confident that I'll be able to provide for both of us, if need be, in approximately two years."

She pursed her lips for a moment, trying to come up with her next argument, and Edward knew that he had her. She didn't oppose the idea of him marrying Bella; she'd made that clear months ago at Thanksgiving.

"Edward, you're sure this is what you want? You've only been seeing Bella for a few months, and in that short time you've already managed to break up and get back together once. How do you know that won't happen again?" Her green eyes said everything she wasn't willing to voice. All the love and hope she had for Edward, and also the desire for him not to know another moment of pain or unhappiness.

"That's why I know we're ready to get married. We've already been through so much. If we can get through all that, and come out the other side more in love than when we started, how can it not be the right thing to do? I want to spend my life with her. She's everything I never knew I wanted, and so much more. I love her, Mom," Edward said, choking back the sudden emotion that threatened to close his throat. He coughed and once the moment had passed, looked at his mother again.

"Alright," she said, the brilliant smile returning to her face. "I had to be sure, Edward. Both for your and Bella's sakes. I already think of her as a daughter, you know." She stood and started walking towards the house. "Come on," she called over her shoulder after he continued to stand dumbly on the patio. "Let's polish up the Platt ring. It's going to look lovely on Bella's hand."

Edward happily followed her into the house. He felt like the width of his smile would split his face in two. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so happy.

They made their way up the stairs, down the hall and into his parents' bedroom. He watched her intently as she sat at her vanity and opened her jewelry box, which took up one whole side of the table. There, right on top, was the blue velvet box that Edward remembered.

"Let's see what type of condition it's in. We may be able to clean it up ourselves. Do you know her ring size, dear?"

Edward froze, feeling like he'd already messed up. "No, I don't." In fact, Bella never wore rings. "Should I ask her before I propose?"

Esme shook her head as she held out the box to him. "I don't think that's necessary. We can have it resized after she accepts."

Edward took the box and gently pulled the ring out of the slot. It was a square-cut diamond on a platinum band. He hoped that Bella would like it. It had been in his family for generations and it would really mean a lot to him for her to wear it.

"Do you know when you want to propose?" Esme asked as she closed the lid to the jewelry box.

"Sunday," Edward replied as he delicately returned the ring to the box and handed it back to his mother.

"At dinner?" She asked.

Edward nodded. "I wanted her father to be there too."

Esme took a small round container from one of the drawers and twisted off the top. Edward watched as she took the ring and gently placed it in a small tray that she then dipped into the container.

"That'll be lovely, Edward. When does Charlie fly in?"

"Thursday. His flight arrives early afternoon, so we offered to arrange for a shuttle service for him, but he insisted on renting a car."

"I don't blame him," she said as she removed the tray and the ring. "He's probably used to taking care of himself and doesn't want to be dependent on you or Bella to go anywhere."

Edward watched as he mother gently patted the ring dry. The stone sparkled even more brilliantly now. He pondered his mother's words; she actually made a lot of sense. "We hadn't been able to figure out why he wanted his own car so badly. We hadn't thought about how he's used to driving himself everywhere. Bella was concerned that he'd find the interstate here confusing."

She replaced the ring into the box and handed it over to Edward. She looked wistfully at it for a moment before the smile returned to her face. "I don't know Charlie, but I think you're both probably underestimating him. He's a police chief. He's probably seen more things than either of you combined. I'm sure a little traffic would be the last thing to cause him any concern."

Edward squeezed the box in his hand for a moment, and then placed it into his pocket. He needed to beat Bella home so he could hide it. "I'd better go. Bella has yearbook today and then we're going to finish cleaning out my spare bedroom for her dad." Edward wasn't sure how he was going to last a week not spending the night with Bella and rooming with his future father-in-law. He'd make it through somehow.

Edward leaned down and gave his mother a kiss. "I'll talk to you later."

Esme waved goodbye and Edward headed out of the room, down the hall, down the steps and out the front door towards his future, the ring burning in his pocket the entire time.

***

**Bella: Thursday Morning**

Bella woke up grumpy. She'd slept alone at her apartment, and was not happy about it. Edward had been secretive all evening as they'd cleaned out and straightened up his spare bedroom for Charlie. He seemed at times equal parts nervous and guilty, and it made her crazy. He refused her repeated requests for a discussion about his mood, and she ended up going home alone rather than spending the night at his house. Charlie was flying in, and it would have been their last night together for a while. If only Edward hadn't been acting so strangely, she wouldn't have gotten her feelings hurt and stomped home like a little girl. He'd called later and apologized, but it didn't stop the empty feeling she got when she woke up alone.

She arrived at school experiencing several emotions. Excitement over the looming school holiday and seeing her dad that afternoon. Discontent at Edward's behavior. And sleepiness from the tossing and turning she'd done in her empty bed.

When Emmett waylaid her in the hallway on her way to her classroom, she felt a flash of annoyance. She just wanted to get through this day without any further distractions or interruptions.

"Miss Swan, may I see you in my office?" Emmett asked. He stood rigidly in the hall and refused to meet her eyes. Bella felt a trickle of fear. Emmett rarely called her "Miss Swan" and certainly not when they were standing together in an empty hallway. Her immediate thought was that something had happened to Edward.

"Yes, of course," Bella replied as she preceded Emmett into the office. She clutched her laptop case tightly, hoping it would anchor her. "Is Edward ok?" She asked in a whisper, not able to wait any longer.

Bella came up short when she walked into the office. They were not alone. Carlisle stood at the window, his back to the room. Two other men stood behind the visitor chairs. They stepped back when she entered but also refused to meet her gaze. She heard the click of the door behind her and realized that whatever was going on was serious business indeed.

Emmett circled the desk and took his seat, gesturing for her to do the same. She sat nervously, clutching the laptop case to her chest.

"Miss Swan, this is Mr. Aro and Mrs. Caius, members of our board of directors. You already know Mr. Cullen," Emmett said nodding to Carlisle who still hadn't moved away from the window. "He is also on our board of directors." Emmett cleared his throat and shuffled some papers on his desk. "It has come to our attention that you are in breach of your employment contract."

Bella's mouth opened wide at the accusation. Her brow furrowed as she racked her brain, trying to make sense of Emmett's words. "I'm sorry…I…what are you talking about?"

"Have you seen today's edition of the Chicago Record?" Emmett asked as he pushed a folded newspaper towards her across the desk.

Bella shook her head and glanced down at the newspaper that had been placed in front of her. She gasped at the headline and the unflattering picture of her own face that graced the cover. "What is this?" She asked, finally letting the laptop case go in order to pull the newspaper closer.

"While we would normally applaud any of our teachers who had been given such a distinction, we are required, in this case, to do just the opposite. If you had come to us when you were approached for the story, we could have worked something out with the newspaper and the reporter and you would not have been in violation of your contract. But since you agreed to this interview without prior permission and have quite blatantly discussed proprietary school business, we are forced to revoke your contract with us immediately. Your personal belongings will be packed and mailed to you at your home address, along with your final paycheck." Emmett sat stoically in his chair as he recited his speech and Bella felt her heart plummet.

"You're letting me go?" Bella whispered in stunned disbelief, crunching the newspaper in her hand.

"We are," Emmett said, looking quickly towards Carlisle. "It is not without deep regret. You have been one of our most promising teachers and the marks that the National Diamond committee scored during their assessment of you were very high. Very high indeed. We wish…"

"Emmett," the man who stood behind and to Bella's right growled warningly.

"Yes," Emmett said, and he finally looked up and into Bella's eyes. She saw the hurt and anguish there that she was sure was mirrored in her own face. "We must ask you to leave the school premises immediately. It would be best if you weren't here when the students arrived."

"But, don't I get the chance to speak in my defense? I had…"

"Not in this case, young lady," the other board member replied – the one that hadn't growled at Emmett. "We have undeniable proof of your treachery. You have cost us the Diamond Award! The committee called Emmett as soon as the newspaper went to print this morning to tell him that we had been disqualified. All thanks to you!"

Bella stood. She wasn't going to let some uptight man with no common sense speak to her in such a manner. Her scalding reply was disrupted by Emmett's door being smashed open, rattling the bookcase that sat behind it.

Edward stood in the doorway. His face was uncharacteristically red and his chest heaved as he sucked air into his lungs. His stricken eyes scanned the room, taking in all the players. Bella cringed back against Emmett's desk as she saw the newspaper that Edward clutched tightly in his hand. When she looked back up to his face, she gasped at what she saw there. Cold. Dead. Hard.

"I think you need to leave," Edward said to Bella. His voice was flat, lacking his usual warmth and vitality. It was as if a different person had taken up residence in Edward's skin. The man who loved her was gone. He'd been replaced by someone who couldn't even look at her. Edward visibly shuddered when he realized that Bella was staring at him. He turned his head away and gripped the newspaper tighter, the crunching of it a loud echo in the small office.

"Edward, you have to listen to me," Bella said as something dark and ugly clenched in her chest. Above everyone else, Edward needed to listen to her. She fought off tears of hurt anger. She hated them at that moment. She hated that she cried whenever she got so emotional. More than that, she hated the entire situation that she'd found herself in.

Edward ignored her pleas and turned to his father. "Dad…" he said. Carlisle turned away from the window and took the few steps across the room until he was at Bella's side.

"Bella," he said, gesturing for her to exit the office.

"But," Bella said, completely flabbergasted that she really, truly was not going to be given the opportunity to defend herself. She felt completely crushed, like a soda can in a garbage compactor.

Carlisle looked at her then, and she saw a mirror of the emotions that had crossed Emmett's face earlier. "Please," he said quietly.

Bella nodded but turned for one last look at Edward. His jaw was set and his fists were clenched at his side. He refused to look at her and Bella knew in that moment that she had broken them completely and utterly. This supposed treachery was not something that he would be able to forgive. She had done what she had promised him all along that she would never do: she'd broken his trust. Just like his brother and the rest of his family before her.

With a sob, she left the room and headed towards the main hallway. Carlisle walked next to her and as soon as Emmett's door clicked closed, she heard Edward's voice raised in anger. She couldn't make out the words, but she didn't need to. He was in there railing about her inadequacies.

They walked silently, side by side, to the front doors of the school. The ones that Bella had entered through seven months earlier, full of so much joy, hope, and excitement. Carlisle stayed with her until they passed through the doors, the doors that Bella would never cross through again. She turned to him, hoping for one last opportunity to explain her innocence. "Mr. Cullen, I swear that I didn't give anyone an interview." Maybe if she could sway Carlisle, she could get the rest of the board to listen to her as well. Some type of a mistake had been made and she needed to rectify it.

"Bella, we'll discuss it later. It's best if you just leave now," he said, sounding older and more exhausted than she'd ever seen him before.

Bella shook her head, wanting desperately to continue pleading her case. One look at Carlisle's face made her realize that it would do her no good. Bella recognized the hard clenching of his jaw and the tightening of his eyes. Edward got the same look every time he'd made his mind up about something and couldn't be swayed. She sighed in defeat. At that moment, she felt ten times smaller than usual. Like the air around her pushed at her skin and bones until all she could do was fold in upon herself. "Alright," she finally quietly acquiesced. "Will you please tell Edward…"

"I can't," he interrupted, shaking his head emphatically. "You'll have to speak with him yourself. Go on home now, Bella."

The futility of the situation began to seep into her mind. She could not even get Carlisle Cullen to listen to her. Carlisle, whom she supposedly had wrapped around her little finger. If he wouldn't listen, how could she expect anyone else to?

Turning quickly, she walked down the front steps of the building, head held high, laptop case grasped tightly in her hand. She wouldn't feel brave for very long, but she could at least muster the strength to walk proudly to her car and leave. Once she got home, she could break down and allow the tears to flow freely.

Later, she didn't remember starting her car or driving home. Both were so familiar to her that she did them by rote. She did remember quite clearly stopping at the gas station and picking up that day's edition of the Chicago Record. She hadn't had the chance to read the entire article in Emmett's office, and it only made sense that she have all the facts before she decided her next course of action.

She pulled into the apartment parking lot and was surprised by the sparseness. When she got home from work, it was usually full. But mid-morning, when most adults were at work and children at school, it was like a ghost town. She parked in the spot nearest the stairs, the one she always coveted but never got home early enough to use. Any other day she would have been pleased by her good luck. Bella scoffed at the type of luck she'd had so far that day.

In her kitchen, after she'd shed her teacher clothes and pulled her hair back into a pony tail, she spread the newspaper out before her on the table. Her article, the one that had caused such a ruckus, was in the B section – the section reserved for articles on interesting happenings in the community. Apparently, that special day, Bella Swan was an interesting happening in the community.

The headline was benign enough:

EDUCATORS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE:

Part three of a six-part series

Isabella Swan Cullen Academy

By J.S. Abbott

Bella scanned the article quickly, picking up on the highlights and instantly seeing why Emmett and the board of directors would have a problem with her giving an interview of this magnitude. She went back to the beginning, and read through the entire article slowly. By the time she finished she was furious. No, not just furious. She was creeped out too. Whoever wrote this article knew an awful lot about her. Things that only someone close to her would know.

The author had her whole life story, and it was fairly accurate too. Her move from Forks, her police chief dad, Jacob, Edward, Alice, and then things about the Cullen Academy that no one else should have known. Their confidentiality clause, their efforts to make the school safer, and finally, the Diamond Award. That irked Bella the most. She'd been especially careful not to even speak to Edward about it outside of school or in front of the students. How the hell had someone found out about it?

And then it hit her. She had told someone about it. A friend – someone that she thought she could trust. Jessica. Jessica Stanley – J.S. Abbott – could they be the same person? That didn't make sense though. Jessica worked at the bank. Unless she'd been lying all along about her job. Bella had never gone there to visit her. Jessica rarely talked about her job actually; she talked mostly about Marcus. And Bella had spilled her entire life story to her!

Bella sat back against the chair, her brain swirling with accusations and horror. She thought that Jessica was a friend. How could she do this to her? Did she have any idea how one little story had ruined her life?

Bella stood, kicking the chair back. It slid across the linoleum a few feet before coming to rest against the counter. She suddenly felt energized and fueled with purpose. There was only one way to find out if Jessica actually worked at the bank. She grabbed her purse and car keys and raced down the steps to her car.

She took a look at her reflection in the rear-view mirror and was not completely surprised at what she found. Her hair stuck up at all angles out of the pony tail, her eyes were crazy wild and her cheeks were flushed. From the look of her, she was either ready to rob a liquor store or beat someone up. She felt like she was capable of both at the moment.

The drive to Jessica's bank was quick and easy. One moment she was in her parking lot, the next she stood outside the bank where Jessica claimed to be employed. Another car ride lost in time. In other circumstances, Bella would have been concerned. Today, she just didn't care.

She opened the glass door and walked into the large, open room. Several offices sat to the right and the teller's stand was straight ahead. She scanned the faces of the three tellers currently on duty, but none of them were Jessica. Bella sucked in a breath and walked to the teller that wasn't waiting on anyone.

"Excuse me," Bella said, trying very hard not to sound as crazy as she knew she looked, "I was looking for Jessica Stanley? Does she…"

"Jessica!" The girl hollered to her right, through an open door that Bella hadn't noticed. She stood with baited breath, waiting for Jessica or someone with Jessica's name to make their way through the door.

Ten seconds later, Jessica Stanley walked through the door, and Bella's shoulders sagged in defeat. Jess saw her and smiled instantly. "Hey Bella! What brings you by? Shouldn't you be at work?"

"Can I talk to you – in private?" Bella asked, clutching her purse to her shoulder. She'd brought the newspaper along as evidence. If Jessica wasn't the author, then maybe she could explain why something that had been told to her in confidence had ended up in print for the world to see.

Jessica looked at her with concern, but nodded and led her towards one of the empty offices on the far side of the room. She closed the door behind them and turned to face Bella. "You look awful. What's wrong?"

Bella dug the paper out of her bag and handed it over for Jess to read. "This is today's newspaper. They wrote an article about me," she told her while watching Jess' face intently. She showed nothing but surprise and maybe a twinge of excitement.

"Hey! That's great! See – I've been telling you all along what an awesome teacher you are. It's about time someone else figured it out too." Jess took the paper from Bella, but frowned when she realized that Bella didn't look happy.

Bella shook her head. "It's not good, Jess. I got fired today because of this article. Breach of contract. Whoever wrote this article knows a lot about me, but I don't know how. I never gave an interview to anyone. I don't even know anyone that works for the…" Bella froze when she realized that she did know someone who worked for the Record. Someone else that she'd come to like and trust. Not to the same degree as Jessica, but all the same, it was a possibility. "Shit," she said, hanging her head. "No wonder Edward's so angry with me. Shit, shit, shit. It's all my fault."

Jessica was silent as she read the article. She looked up when she was done and handed it back. "That is kind of creepy. How did this J.S. Abbott know so much about you? Honestly, it's not that bad of an article. It lists your accomplishments and how involved you are at the school. I would think the school would thank you for the free publicity about that award too."

Bella sat in a chair that stood against the wall. She felt drained of energy. "One of the conditions of the award was complete secrecy. Most people don't even know that it exists. They were going to announce the winner at the end of April, but now we're out of the running completely." Bella hung her head and stared at the pattern of the office's carpet. She felt incredibly naive and stupid, all rolled up like an enchilada. Somehow, she'd manage to ruin her entire teaching career in just seven months. Fuck.

"Jess, I have to ask: did you tell anyone else about the award? Marcus, maybe? Or your mom? I won't be mad – I promise. I just need to know the truth." It was, after all, her fault for telling Jessica in the first place. It hadn't been Jess' secret to keep. That trust and responsibility had been placed squarely on Bella's shoulders and she'd failed.

"Bella, I swear that I didn't tell a soul. You told me it was a secret. That's girl code. You can't repeat something once it's been told in secret."

Bella looked up into Jessica's wide, innocent eyes and knew that she was telling the truth. Jessica was exactly who she appeared to be, in all her nicety and simplicity. Yes, she went overboard sometimes in an attempt for people to like her. However, if secret-keeping was part of some girl code that Bella was unfortunately unfamiliar with, then Jessica wouldn't break it. The situation was cut and dry.

Bella felt her shoulders sag in defeat for the second time that day. She seemed to be messing her life up every time she turned around. First her job and Edward, now her friends. If she wasn't careful, she'd be searching her plants for hidden microphones and killing them in the process. "I'm sorry, Jess. I just didn't know what else to do. This doesn't make any sense."

"What did Edward say?" Jessica asked, still full of concern.

"He told me to get out. He was so cold and distant. It was like he'd morphed into another person," Bella said as she looked down at the carpet again. Bella realized with sudden clarity that Edward hadn't turned into a different person at all. He'd regressed to the original model. The cold, angry man she'd met so many months ago. And it was all her fault. She'd done that to him. Bella choked back a sob. She had completely ruined things with Edward. She didn't know how they could ever get past her betrayal – even an accidental one.

"Have you tried calling him? Maybe once he calms down you can explain things to him."

"I don't know," Bella said hesitantly.

"Bella," Jess said, taking her hands and holding them tightly. "If there's one thing I know, it's men. They cool down eventually. What will it hurt?"

Me, Bella thought to herself. Edward had the power to devastate her.

Bella took a moment to collect her thoughts. It was time to move onto the next step of whatever plan she was making up as she went along. "Thanks," Bella said, allowing Jess to help pull her up.

"Go on home. I'll stop by after work, ok?" Bella nodded, grateful to have one friend left after all that had happened that day.

She took her time driving home, careful to stay in the present. The last thing she needed was to have an accident. It would be just her luck.

She sat at her kitchen table, willing the hours away. She needed and feared talking to Edward. He must hate her and it tore her in half that he would. Alice was also on her mind. Surely, Alice would believe her. Alice would realize that Bella would never intentionally do what she'd been accused of. Alice would help her make sense of everything and help Bella sort her life out. Second only to Edward, Alice was the one person who could provide the love and support that Bella so desperately needed.

She wasted the day away, staring blankly at the kitchen wall. Her butt was sore from the hard seat and her foot was asleep. It didn't matter. None of it mattered. At three o'clock, she dialed the number she knew by heart and waited for Edward to pick up. It rang four times and went to voicemail. Bella took a deep breath and left the message she'd been penning in her head all day.

"It's me. Edward, I swear that I didn't give an interview to anyone. Obviously, the article is accurate but I had nothing to do with it. For some reason, I've been set up. I really need to talk to you about this. Please don't be angry. We can work this out. Call me, please. I love you." Bella closed the phone and set it back on the table. She was afraid now that he was avoiding her. She was going to take Jess' advice and give him time to cool off. Eventually, he would have to talk to her.

She called Alice next and got her voicemail as well. The message she left was briefer than Edward's, but Bella felt confident that Alice would actually call her back.

Filled with nervous energy, Bella started pacing her apartment. She eventually pulled out the vacuum cleaner and did some unnecessary cleaning. By the time a knock sounded on her door a little while later, her apartment was extra spotless. Her first thought was that Edward had come to see her after all. She practically ran to the door and flung it open in her excitement.

"I taught you better, Bells. You should always check the peephole before tearing open your door like that." Bella burst into tears at the sight of her father standing at her front door. She threw herself in to his arms.

"Hey, what's the matter?" He asked, as he clumsily patted her back.

"Everything! Dad, I'm so glad to see you!" Bella clutched onto him for dear life. This man, at least, was her constant. No matter what mistakes she made, he would always love her and be there for her.

"Bells, maybe we should go inside. Your neighbors are staring."

Bella blinked her eyes and found the man who lived down the hall slinking past their strange reunion.

"Ok. Sorry, come on in." Bella followed him into her apartment and led him to the sofa.

"Now, tell me what's wrong," Charlie said, in a way that was as familiar to her as her reflection. Charlie had always made it his mission to fix all her wrongs, and this instance would not be any different.

Bella retrieved the newspaper from her purse and patiently explained the situation while Charlie read the article. When she was done, he looked furious.

"Who is this J.S. Abbott? That's where we need to start, Bells. We find him and then we can figure out how he knows so much about you."

"It could be a she," Bells said.

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Or she. Either way, I don't like 'em."

"I'm so glad you're here. I'm sorry we have to start your vacation like this though."

Charlie tapped the newspaper against the back of the sofa. It was a mannerism Bella knew well. It meant he was in detective mode. "First we'll call the newspaper. That probably won't get us very far though. I may be able to weasel out some information on my own." Charlie was lost in his own world, sorting through the pieces of information that Bella had given him.

"I know someone who works for the paper," Bella said hesitantly.

His eyes scanned her face, and they were the calculating eyes of a police chief. She'd never seen her father look at her like that before.

"How long have you known this person?" He asked, giving her his full attention.

"A few months. Five months or so."

"In what capacity do you know them?"

"We're in Scrabble Club together."

"Do you see them outside of Scrabble Club?"

"Sometimes."

"Would you call this person a friend?"

"Maybe. More a friendly acquaintance."

"Bella – is there something you're not telling me?"

"No," Bella said as she sank back against the couch, trying to escape her father's rapid fire questions. If this was how an interrogation worked, she didn't want to ever experience one for real. Her palms were sweaty and her throat felt dry.

"I'm going to need their name and phone number."

"Joshua Smithson. His number's on my phone." Bella scrolled through her contacts and read out the numbers to her dad, who wrote them down on a notepad he'd procured from his shirt pocket.

"Joshua Smithson. J.S. Like the J.S. Abbott that wrote the article," Charlie said definitively.

Bella could only nod. She wasn't afraid of her father, but she was afraid of disappointing him.

"Bella," he said, shaking his head. He didn't need to say anything else. She already knew that he was piecing it together and coming up with the only answer that made sense. Bella, at some point, had let something slip to someone. And Josh seemed to be the primary suspect.

Bella's phone rang in her hand, and it naturally made her jump. She looked at the screen, and was relieved to see Jasper's name pop up.

"Hello," she breathed into the phone, happy to find another source of comfort in the rocky storm that had become her Thursday.

"Bella, it's Jasper," he said. Bella instantly went on alert. His voice sounded strained and distant.

"What is it?" She asked, pressing the phone hard against her ear in an effort to hear him better.

"It's Alice. We're at the hospital. She's hemorrhaging. We need you here. Quickly."

Bella jumped off the sofa and grabbed her purse. "I'm on my way."

"It's Alice. Hospital," she called to her dad as she ran out of the apartment and towards the only person who could make her forget her own problems at that moment.


	35. Chapter 35

A/N: The next few chapters are told in alternating points of view. Pay special attention to the headers above each section, or you may get lost. We're jumping between Bella and Edward but they're at two different points in time.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight, but I thank Stephenie Meyer for allowing me to borrow her characters.

* * *

**Edward: Thursday Morning**

Edward awoke in his bed alone, feeling lonelier than he had in years. Bella had not stayed the night like they'd planned. She'd been upset and gone home because she knew he'd been holding something back. He'd come home from his parents' house with the ring still burning in his pocket and had wanted to hand it to her the moment he saw her. Every moment he spent with Bella, he was reminded of how much she had become his life.

Bella had naturally picked up that he was concealing something and had gone to great lengths to ferret it out. Edward had closed up, relying on a previous incarnation of himself to get through the next few days without ruining the surprise that he'd planned.

This led to him waking up alone, tired and cranky and missing Bella fiercely. Charlie was due in that afternoon and he and Bella would spend the next week sleeping apart. Edward was used to sleeping with her small body pressed against his. This sleeping apart business sucked. He thought of the ring hidden in his bottom drawer and that helped to banish the anger at the situation. Once they were married, they would spend every night together.

He got ready for the day and made his way outside to his car. The strong wind that blew off the lake wasn't as prevalent so far inland, but it was still a fairly blustery day. Edward could sense that spring was in the air, filled with new life, warmth and bright and happy times.

Edward stopped at the gas station for a cup of coffee and glanced briefly at the newspaper headlines. He never, ever read the Chicago Record, but that day, a headline caught his eye. He pulled the paper out of its slot in confusion and pulled it closer to his face, thinking that it was a trick of the eye that Bella's face was peering back at him from the pages in his hand.

He quickly flipped to the next section and stared in horror at what he found. Someone had written an article about Bella. Edward scanned it and almost dropped his coffee on the ground. 'No, no, no,' he chanted in his head. This could not be happening. He threw some coins onto the counter and fled out of the store towards his car. Once inside, he pulled out the article and read it in its entirety.

After he finished reading, Edward slammed his fist against the steering wheel and shouted several of his favorite expletives. He looked at the time and realized that Bella was probably already at school. She was going to be met by a nasty surprise and he needed to be there too.

He raced towards the school, breaking several traffic laws in the process. If need be, he was more than prepared to lead a high-speed police chase to the front doors of Cullen Academy. He barely managed to put the car in park before he was tearing up the steps, down the hall, and into his brother's office.

Five heads turned at his violent intrusion. He glanced around the room, not surprised to see the usual suspects. Emmett, their father, Mr. Aro, Mr. Caius, and lastly, Bella. Edward closed his eyes against the pain that shifted through his body. He remembered this scene all too well. Memories of that day threatened to overwhelm him and for a moment, he couldn't breathe. If there was anything he had ever hoped for in his life, it would have been to spare those that he loved a similar experience to the one he had three years ago. The hurt, the embarrassment, the sense of betrayal and inequity. That it was Bella standing here was more painful than anything he could have imagined. He knew the exact emotions that she was experiencing and his only thought after that was to fix it. Edward had to fix it. But, he couldn't fix it with Bella in the room.

Edward took a deep breath and felt an odd sense of precision-like clarity. The path to handling the situation lay before him in steps. First, he needed Bella to leave the room. He wouldn't be able to hold his emotions in check with her present. They were tied together too strongly for that. Next, he would need to convince the board, his father, and Emmett that they'd made a horrible mistake. Finally, he would be able to present a happy conclusion to Bella and they would be able to forget that this awful event had ever happened.

After what felt like hours but was probably more like seconds, Edward felt calm enough to speak. "I think you need to leave," he told Bella, holding back the plethora of emotions that stood on the precipice of his restraint. If he was going to have a rational discussion with anyone about Bella's situation, he needed to appear emotionally distant. He swallowed all the words and touches he instinctively wanted to give to Bella. He knew that she needed him. But at that moment, his most prevalent thought was Fix It.

Bella spoke while Edward sorted through the steps in his head, but he didn't hear what she said. The longer she stayed, the closer he got to unleashing his emotions. He needed her gone.

Edward turned to his father and called his name pleadingly. Carlisle would understand what Edward couldn't possibly say aloud. He would take care of Bella so that Edward could move onto the next step.

Edward stared at the wall while Carlisle and Bella left the room. He forced himself not to look at her. Their relationship was not a secret, but it did not need to be thrown into the board of directors' faces at that moment.

Once the door had closed, Edward turned on the board members. "This isn't right!" He said, much louder than he'd planned. Edward was instantly angry at himself for losing control. He took a deep breath and lowered his voice. "Did you give her the chance to speak for herself, or did you judge her before she even entered the room?"

"Edward, this isn't helping," Emmett said, while he rubbed his temples.

Edward counted backwards from one hundred while he collected his thoughts. He tried to focus his energy so it would turn from angry to calm, but he was not having much luck.

When Carlisle slipped back into the room, Edward felt ready to proceed with the next step in his plan. "You've made a mistake. Bella would never willingly betray the school like this."

Mr. Aro stepped forward and angrily punched the newspaper with his finger. "The proof is right here, Edward. She talked to someone. It doesn't matter who she talked to, she is in violation of her contract. The good news is that we finally have discovered our leak." He turned to Emmett with a satisfied smile on his face. "I trust now that we've uncovered the source of these past indiscretions that we won't have any more problems."

"We don't have proof that she was the source for those other articles," Carlisle interjected calmly.

"They were all written by the same author," Mr. Caius said as he too stepped closer. "It's too much of a coincidence. Really, Emmett, you need to screen your employees better. This situation is quite embarrassing."

Edward growled. He'd never liked these two particular board members and was angry that they'd been the two chosen for this particular duty. "Bella is a fantastic teacher," Edward said, feeling his calm energy slipping out of his tenuous grip. "Do you know how much time she spends here after school? She helps with three student activities, plus she spends an extraordinary amount of time on lesson plans, grading papers and helping students during her free period. You've made a mistake. We need to find out how the reporter got this information and then sue his ass for falsifying documents or making false statements or something!" Edward threw his hands up in the air, completely frustrated by the situation.

"Edward, I talked to the newspaper," Emmett said, sitting forward in his chair. "They stand by the story and the reporter. He has tapes that they've listened to. The story's legitimate and there's nothing we can do now but pick up the pieces. We'll have to make a statement to the students and find a replacement to fill Bella's spot."

"This is complete and utter crap!" Edward yelled. Fuck being calm. He grasped the angry stick with both hands and shook it in the air powerfully.

"Son, the students will be arriving soon. We need you to calm down and go teach your classes," Carlisle said as he placed his hand on Edward's shoulder. "Come on, I'll walk you down."

Edward reluctantly allowed his father to pull him out of Emmett's office. He didn't know how he could be expected to go about his day like his entire world had not just been turned upside down. His mind and body screamed at him to do something, anything, to make this better for Bella.

"Dad, I can't just go teach now. I have to find Bella. She's probably sick with worry. And then we need to figure out what happened. I know she had nothing to do with this," Edward pleaded with his father quietly as they walked down the hall towards the library. His family had to listen to him. After his own situation years ago, he was surprised at their quickness to believe this wrongdoing on Bella's part.

"Edward, I understand. I wish there was something we could do at this moment, but there's not. The board of directors are there to ensure that the school is run properly. They would be derelict in their duties if they let something like this slide." Carlisle stopped them once they were outside the band room door. "We'll meet tonight to discuss it further – in private. Maybe as a family, we can think of something together."

Edward frowned. This was not how he wanted to handle the situation. "What about Bella?" Edward asked quietly.

Carlisle looked past Edward's head to the students who were just beginning to trickle into the school. He gave Edward a pointed look to remind him that they could no longer speak freely. "I'll stop by Alice's office. See if she has time to call her at some point today. We have to be careful about how this is handled Edward. Neither I nor Emmett can publicly become further involved. As a family member, you're in a tricky position as well. Alice however," Carlisle smiled as he walked down the hall towards the library again, "can do as she pleases."

Edward nodded to his father as he walked away. Alice did seem like the perfect solution. He could only hope that she would be enough support for Bella until he could come up with a proper solution.

***

Edward followed his last student of the day out the band room door. The kid in front of him gave him a sympathetic look as Edward jogged through the library towards the front doors of the school. He'd been getting a lot of those since Emmett made his morning announcement that Miss Swan would not be returning for the remainder of the school year.

Edward's gut churned when he thought about Bella. Just as he'd predicted, he'd been unable to concentrate on anything but Bella all day. He'd gone back and forth in his head over the right thing to do. He felt split in two. He had this irrational need to fix this problem for her. The next time he saw her, he wanted to be able to tell her that he'd discovered the identity of the rogue reporter and pummeled his, or her, face in. The other part of him wanted to rush to Bella's side and hold and kiss her until she felt better. Either way produced the same result. His male pride demanded that he fight rather than flee, so he headed towards his car with one mission in mind: locate J.S. Abbott. It began and ended with J.S. Once Edward found the reporter, he would know exactly how this strange turn of events had occurred and how to force J.S. to fix it.

His one regret was not talking to Bella since seeing her in the office that morning. He had no good excuse, just that incessant need to make everything better. He wanted to be able to face her proudly the next time he saw her and tell her that he'd made it all go away. He had fixed it. During Tanyagate, no one had been there to be his champion. He was going to do for Bella what had never been done for him. The only thing that made him feel less guilty was that Alice would be there to help Bella until Edward was able to face her again. Alice was true and loyal and would understand that Edward was on a mission. Hopefully, she'd be able to explain that to Bella.

The drive to his townhouse took longer than usual. The amount of traffic he encountered on the drive from school was directly proportional to the amount of annoyance he felt. He pulled into his driveway with a sigh and ran through his to do list in his head. He needed to change his clothes and maybe call in some reinforcements. Emmett was out, but maybe Jasper would be interested in joining the good fight.

Edward stalked inside his front door but stopped cold when he found a strange pair of brown loafers lying on the floor in his front hallway. He checked the alarm system, but no break-ins were indicated. He stood still, trying to determine his next move. Only two other people had his alarm code, and neither of them wore a men's shoe size thirteen.

"Son, you might as well come all the way in. I promise that I won't shoot you."

Edward sighed in relief as he recognized the voice of Charlie Swan. He jumped up the steps to his living room but was not pleased to find Charlie sitting on his sofa with one of his personal boxes propped up next to him.

"What are you doing, Charlie?" Edward asked, dropping the usual formalities. He figured that they were on a first name basis now that Bella's father had broken into his home and was examining his financial records.

"Looking for clues," Charlie replied as he took out another file folder and quickly scanned the paper within.

"And you think you can find them looking through my bank statements?" Edward asked as he slowly approached the sofa. He wasn't sure if Charlie had been kidding or not about the gun, but he wasn't going to test it out by trying to sneak up on the man.

"No, but it's good to know that you have a healthy savings balance and some smart investments. If you're going to marry my girl, I need to make sure that you can support her." Charlie stuck the folder back into the box and pushed it aside. He leveled his gaze on Edward, who froze in place, slightly afraid of his future father-in-law at that moment.

"Now, what do you plan to do about this newspaper mess?"

Edward squared his shoulders, finding the bravery that Charlie Swan had somehow managed to make disappear with one look. "How did you get in here, Charlie? Did Bella let you in?"

Charlie shook his head. "Nope. Bella was called away on an emergency. I found a spare key and the alarm code hidden in the cookie jar in her top cabinet. Thought it made sense to start the investigation here."

"Wait...what emergency? And she keeps the key and the alarm code written down together?" Edward asked incredulously. By now, Bella had the code memorized. She should have shredded that piece of paper months ago.

"Yep," Charlie said, seeming to be care-free and unbothered by the situation they found themselves in. "We'll need to have a discussion with her about personal safety. She also answered the door without checking the peephole first."

Edward sat at the other end of the sofa, rubbing his head in confusion. Charlie was making little sense and not concentrating on the major issues. "What was the emergency?"

"It was strange. She took a phone call, then jumped up and rushed out the door, yelling something about Alice and the hospital. Now, I know that Alice is one of her friends here, and I could only assume that she'd been taken to the hospital for one reason or another."

Edward jumped up, his headache gone instantly. "Alice is in the hospital?" He yelled.

"Calm down, son. I didn't take you for someone to be prone to emotional outbursts. Lucky for you, I placed a call and located an Alice Whitlock who'd been admitted to County Hospital. She's out of intensive care now, but that's all they'd tell me."

"Shit," Edward said, sitting down on the sofa again. "This is quite possibly the worst day ever."

"Could be. But, we've still got some ground to cover. Do you have any ideas about who this J.S. Abbott is? Bella mentioned someone she goes to Scrabble Club with…"

Edward saw red the moment the name popped into his head. "Joshua….I don't know his last name. He works for the Record, but he writes obituaries or something dumb like that. He shouldn't be writing a feature on educators in the community."

Charlie reached into his pocket and removed a small notepad. He flipped it open and scanned the page briefly. "Joshua Smithson. I have his phone number and if we hurry, we could probably catch him at the paper before he leaves for the day."

Edward jumped up, feeling jubilant at having at least a starting point. "I'm going to get changed and then we can go. Uh…did you find your room ok?" He asked, wondering how much hospitality he was expected to extend in such a situation.

"Go get changed, Edward. We can talk towels and menu options on the car ride. You should probably call Bella too." Charlie pulled another file folder from the box and Edward sighed in defeat. If looking through his financial records helped to confirm to Charlie that he'd make a good husband, then Edward would suffer through the breach of privacy.

Upstairs, Edward changed quickly and picked up his phone to call Bella. He realized that he had a missed call and voicemail message. He listened to Bella's message and his fist tightened around the phone in his hand. He could hear the pain, confusion, and uncertainty in her voice and it killed him. He had to stay strong for both of them, especially now with Alice in the hospital. He could only assume that Alice had at some point during the day explained the situation to Bella. Edward called her back, but got her voicemail. He didn't want to rehash everything, so he left her a brief message explaining that he was working some things out. He didn't want Bella to worry anymore than she needed to. They were a team. He would work on the newspaper problem and Bella could concentrate on Alice.

***

**Bella: Thursday Evening**

Bella and Jasper sat in the darkened room, separated by a hospital bed. Alice lay between them, still and not aware of their presence. Bella looked continuously from Jasper's bowed head, to Alice's tiny form, to the open door that offered snippets of life and health beyond their room. She looked back to Jasper again, thinking that he looked like he'd aged over night. Alice's chest rose and fell with each breath she took, the machine hooked to her vitals quietly confirming her life. The door revealed a nurse rushing past, responding to a ding from a room at the other end of the honeycombed-shaped grouping they'd been shown into.

Bella looked at her feet, wishing she could find something else to think about. If she followed that path, it only led to her disastrous morning. It was better to concentrate on the present. Jasper's blonde hair, Alice's closed eyes, revealing purple-stained eyelids, and an empty hallway.

She was on what must have been her hundredth pass of Jasper's head when a doctor entered the room. She picked up the chart that hung on Alice's bed and flipped through the pages with precision. "Has she woken up at all?" She asked, looking between Bella and Jasper.

Jasper nodded his head. "She did when they first brought her to the room. But, she's been out ever since. Is that normal?"

The doctor smiled in that condescending way that made Bella want to stand up and smack somebody. It was meant to be comforting, but it only said, "I hold a great deal of knowledge that hundreds of thousands of dollars and eight years in school got me. I will impart it upon you when I'm ready."

"Her body needs time to heal. So long as she's come out of the anesthesia, there's nothing to worry about. Has anyone discussed with you the next step?"

Jasper sat up and pushed his hair out of his face. "The next step for what?"

"Well, typically after a second miscarriage, especially one due to Asherman's, we need to discuss the next step. Looking through her records, I don't think her body could handle any more miscarriages."

"Wait…Alice was pregnant?" Jasper asked in a whisper.

Bella pulled away from the hospital bed in disbelief. She hadn't known about Alice's pregnancy either. Surely, she would have told one of them.

"Well, yes." The doctor replied, picking up the chart again. "Estimated at about eight weeks. You didn't know."

Jasper shook his head and Bella turned to look at Alice's face. A baby. She'd lost another baby. Bella's heart felt weary. Alice was going to be devastated.

"We can discuss it more after Alice has woken up. I'll be by again in a few hours." The doctor left as quickly as she'd come, leaving Jasper and Bella uncomfortably alone.

"Did you know?" Jasper asked, his voice cracking while he tried to hold his emotions in check.

"No," Bella whispered, finding Alice's small hand underneath the small sheet. "I don't believe that she knew either. She would have told you, Jasper."

They were silent again, and Bella's mind drifted to Edward. She hadn't heard from him, but didn't expect to at this point. His silence and anger spoke volumes. She had no time or patience to waste on her own problems at the moment. Alice's life and the tiny one she'd just lost were more important.

Hours passed and they continued their silent vigil. Visiting hours were coming to an end, and Bella would have to leave. She didn't want to go. She wanted to stay with her friend. "Maybe I'll wait down in the lobby," she told Jasper as she gathered her purse.

"I hate to ask you to stay," he said, tearing his eyes away from Alice only for a moment. That moment was long enough for Bella to understand that he wanted her to stay. He didn't want to be alone.

"I'll be downstairs if you need me," she told him as she turned to leave.

"Jasper," a voice cried out, stopping Bella in her tracks. She turned to find Jasper hovering intently over Alice.

Bella dropped her purse and rushed back to the bedside. "Ring for the nurse," she told him, not able to reach the call button herself.

Alice writhed on the bed, twisting the sheets around her legs. She continued to moan and Bella had the urge to gather her in her arms and make all her pain go away. If only she could.

A nurse hurried in and brushed Jasper aside. She quickly checked Alice's monitor, then adjusted the knob on one of the bags that dripped serenely from the cart that hung above. "She's ok. She's just waking up and feeling some of the pain. I've increased her meds, so she should be fine again in a moment." The nurse marked Alice's chart then left again.

"Love you," Alice whispered again, before she sank back into her healing sleep.

Jasper sat with a thud in the chair next to her bed. "Holy Christ, that scared me."

Bella walked around the bed, and patted his shoulder. "She's going to be ok, Jasper. She's in the hospital. It's the safest place for her. Try to get some sleep."

Bella made her way to the cafeteria, pleased to find that it was open 24 hours. She bought a bottle of water and found a booth in a remote corner of the room. If she was lucky, maybe she could catch a nap while she waited for morning to come.

She'd called Jessica earlier and asked her to check on her dad. Bella felt horrible for abandoning him so soon after his arrival, but at the time she'd been panicked. He had a cell phone that he used for the police force in Forks, but had insisted upon leaving it at home before flying to Chicago. He'd told Bella that he wanted a real vacation and didn't want to be interrupted every time Mark Dowling decided to hustle a couple of out-of-towners in a pool game. It was great that Charlie actually wanted to escape from Forks for once, but extremely inconvenient given their current situation. Fortunately, Jessica had reported back that he'd left a note on her table saying that he'd gone out to take care of some things and he'd give her a call later. Bella was only slightly relieved. He was still alone in a strange city.

She pulled her phone out of her purse, and turned it back on, hoping that maybe Charlie had checked in while she'd been upstairs with Alice. Her breath caught when she realized that she did have a message, but it hadn't come from Charlie. Edward had finally returned her call.

She listened to Edward's message, feeling more unsettled than before. What did "working things out" mean, exactly? As usual, Edward was being vague and non-communicative. She knew that he was angry and that anger was aimed at her. Truthfully, Bella was angry with herself. But, at this point in their relationship, she'd expected more from him. More support, more faith, more trust.

Bella sighed as she closed her eyes and scooted down further on the booth seat. She longed for the oblivion of sleep, but knew that it would be a long time coming.

***

**Edward: Thursday Afternoon**

Edward and Charlie pulled into a parking garage that sat a block away from the downtown offices of the Chicago Record. Edward was not pleased that Charlie had insisted on driving, but he turned out to be an excellent driver.

"Does Bella know you possess NASCAR driver skills?" Edward asked as they exited the car and made their way down the street.

"Never had much use for them in Forks," Charlie replied as he ambled along next to Edward.

Edward tried to suppress his smile. He was amazed by how many things he'd learned about Charlie over the past two hours. He could easily inhale two cheeseburgers, large fries and a chocolate milkshake. He didn't like to listen to the radio in the car. He'd read every book ever written by Louis L'Amour. And he'd been quietly dating one of the waitresses at the diner for the past two months. "Nothing serious," he'd insisted.

Edward wondered how Bella would react to that news, but it wasn't his to share. He definitely wanted to be around when Charlie laid that one on her though.

The old, brick building that housed the Record stood at the corner, one block north of the river. It was tall and rather ordinary, having been built after the great fire when most of downtown had been obliterated. People bustled in and out of the building, mostly out as the end of the workday neared. Edward took a deep breath and pushed through the revolving door.

He and Charlie started at the guard's desk, where they were issued visitor's passes and buzzed through to the elevators.

"That was easy," Edward commented as they begun their fifteen-story ascent.

"Too easy," Charlie replied, staring intently at the numbers above the doors. They dinged open when they reached the correct floor and Edward and Charlie stepped out into a small reception area.

A long desk took up the entire wall that faced them. A set of glass doors were to their right and in bold gold lettering the words Chicago Record filled the wall above the desk.

"Can I help you?" The woman who sat behind the desk called out as she tore her attention away from her computer monitor.

Edward started to speak, but Charlie shot him a look which made him snap his mouth shut. Fine. He'd let Charlie take charge – for now.

"We're trying to locate a member of the family we haven't seen in a while. Joshua Smithson? My cousin, who's married to his great-uncle's granddaughter, said that he used to work here so we thought we'd start here."

Edward tried not to stare with his mouth open wide at Charlie's smooth delivery and bold-faced lies. This was a side of him that Bella surely had never seen. She always talked about her dad with complete respect. She would be surprised to find out that he was capable of so much more.

The woman smiled at Charlie, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I can buzz his desk and see if he's available. Why don't you take a seat?" She took their names and nodded to several chairs that were huddled in the corner of the room. Edward walked over and picked a magazine off the table that sat in between the chairs.

"Do you think we're going to get anywhere with this?" He asked quietly as soon as Charlie had sat as well.

"Probably not. But, we have his home phone number so we start working that next. We may have to track him down at home instead. If he's really our guy, then he probably realizes that you and Bella are going to start looking for him. That will make finding him that much harder."

They sat for a few minutes watching people pass in and out sporadically through the door. It was another ten minutes before the receptionist called them back over to the desk.

"I'm afraid that Mr. Smithson is out for the day. Would you like to leave a message or make an appointment for another time?"

Charlie thrummed his fingers against the counter. "Is there someone else we can talk to? Like his boss? We really need to talk to him today."

The woman gave them one of her not-quite-a-smile smiles again. "You can make an appointment to see either Mr. Smithson or his boss for next week. I'm afraid that they're both unavailable."

Edward turned away, not wanting the receptionist to see the anger that crossed his face. The little weasel was hiding – he knew it! Why else would he refuse to see them? Edward heard Charlie thanking the woman and felt him brush past on his way to the elevator. Once inside, Edward turned to him. "Do you want to make the call or should I? I'm not sure that I'd be able to have a reasonable conversation with him at this moment."

Charlie shook his head as they quickly descended back down to the ground floor. "I don't know, Edward. Something doesn't seem right about this guy. I can't imagine that the newspaper would allow someone from the obits department to suddenly start writing a series of articles like this. It seems really off base."

The doors pinged open and Edward followed Charlie out. He was sorting through the pieces of information they'd been collecting when he saw a familiar face making their way towards the elevator banks on the opposite side.

Edward zeroed in and jogged across the marble hallway, grabbing an arm to detain them before they could get any further. Edward grinned when she turned and gasped. "Rachel…you're just the person I was hoping to find."

* * *

A/N: Asherman's is a real syndrome. You can learn more about it at www[dot]ashermans[dot]org. I did a lot of research for Alice but I've taken some liberties. Please forgive me for any inaccuracies.


	36. Chapter 36

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight.

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**Bella: Friday Morning**

A noisy cart rolled by, waking Bella from yet another uneasy sleep. She pulled her head off the table and wiped the drool off her chin, looking around in the hopes that no one was staring at her like she must be an escapee from one of the hospital wards.

She checked the time and sighed in defeat. It was only three a.m. She'd been sleeping in ten to fifteen minutes intervals since midnight and she felt horrible. She stood and stretched, then made her way to the ladies room on the other side of the cafeteria. She passed a few tables that held medical personnel nursing cups of coffee, no doubt in order to help keep them awake. Bella just wanted something that would put her to sleep.

She quickly freshened up and then grimaced at her reflection in the mirror. She already had bags under her eyes and there were creases on her cheek from where it had been pressed against the table.

With a sigh, she headed back into the cafeteria in search of someplace new and more comfortable to sit for a while. She was headed towards the lobby and a cushiony bench when she heard Jasper calling her name. Bella turned with her heart in her throat, afraid that something had happened to Alice.

"Is she ok?" Bella asked, the words spilling from her mouth in a rush.

"She's sleeping. The nurse checked her a little while go and said she was doing fine. Her blood pressure is almost back to normal and her saline levels are on the rise." Jasper paused in his recitation of Alice's current condition. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" He pushed his hair off his face, looking as exhausted as Bella felt.

"Sure," Bella replied, feeling momentarily relieved from the positive update. She led them towards the bench she'd spotted earlier. They both sat and shifted uncomfortably for a few minutes.

Jasper took a deep breath. "First of all, I wanted to thank you for coming down here so quickly. I knew that she would want you here, and frankly, I needed you here too. I've come to think of you as a sister as much as Alice has and there's no one else I would have wanted here with us." Jasper studied his hands the entire time he spoke, his words flowing freely and with raw emotion. Bella's breath caught at his soul-baring words.

"Jasper, you know I'd do anything for either of you. I'm just glad she's going to be alright. Did," Bella hesitated, uncertain how to continue. "Did you call her parents?" Bella knew that her dad and even her mom would drop whatever they were doing if she'd been rushed to the hospital. Alice's parents, unfortunately, were a different breed.

Jasper finally looked up and rolled his eyes. "I did. They're in New York for a few weeks. Once Beatrice found out that it was 'just a miscarriage' she didn't feel the need to drop all their plans and fly home. They're sending flowers tomorrow instead."

"Oh, Jasper," Bella said in sympathy.

"Alice won't care. She hardened herself against her parents' inadequacies years ago. It just pisses me off how cavalier they are about everything. Any normal person would have shown a little more concern."

Bella leaned forward and rubbed Jasper's shoulder, offering comfort in the only way she knew how.

"That's not really what I want to discuss with you though." Jasper took a deep breath and looked up from his clasped hands. "The doctor came back after you left. This syndrome Alice has – Asherman's – it's left her uterus all glued together. It's probably why she miscarried again. Fuck, this is awkward, Bella. I never thought I'd have to discuss my wife's reproductive organs with anyone."

He grimaced and Bella leaned forward to catch his eye again. He kept staring at the wall behind her head, obviously unable to look her in the eye while discussing something so private. "It's just me," Bella told him gently. "If you don't tell me, Alice will."

Jasper nodded and continued. "They can go in and try to perform a hysteroscopy, and that would probably clean up the lesions that are causing the problems, but she also has all the issues from the endometriosis. This being her second miscarriage and D&C, her chances at carrying a baby to full term are pretty slim. We knew this already, but it's gotten worse since they discovered the lesions. They think she'll just continue to miscarry, and I can't go through that anymore Bella. I don't want Alice to go through it. This is going to crush her, but I was hoping that you would talk some sense into her." His eyes met Bella's then, and they swam in a sea of hope and desperation. "Tell her no more babies. Tell her to be sensible. She'll listen to you."

Bella was already shaking her head, the pain in her heart fortunately overruled by her head. "I can't do that, Jasper. That's a decision that you and Alice have to make together. I have no place in it." Bella hated that he was even asking it of her. Just the idea of Alice miscarrying repeatedly made her heart break, but she couldn't tell Alice what to do. "Alice knows her body and she knows you. You'll have to discuss it with her, give her all the pros and cons, and come to a mutual decision. I can't do it."

"I'm scared," Jasper whispered.

Bella bowed her head and Jasper's hands came into view. His fingers pulled repeatedly on his pants leg. He had a thick section of the twill fabric doubled over, and he rubbed his thumb over the material in a circular motion. Back and forth. Round and round. Like he could rub all his pain and sorrow away.

"Talk to her," Bella told him again quietly.

When Bella looked up, his eyes were on her face again. He nodded his head and Bella breathed a sigh of relief. She stood and walked to the glass window that looked out to the parking lot. There were just a few cars parked in the visitors' lot. Bella could see her Camry parked way in the back corner. A single lamp post stood in the middle of the lot, casting a warm glow onto everything it touched. "Alice is just like that," Bella murmured.

Jasper came and stood next to her, staring out at the same lot that Bella saw. "Just like what?"

"She brings so much joy and light to everyone she meets. Even slightly dimmed as she is now, she's still a source of brightness in both our lives." Bella slipped her arm between Jasper's. "Just keep doing whatever is that you do, Jasper Whitlock. Alice's little light will keep on shining brighter than before."

Jasper leaned his head to the side until it bumped against Bella's. She could see their images reflected in the glass window. Hers small and slight, his tall and hunched over. In between, the light from the parking lot shone brightly.

***

**Edward: Thursday Afternoon**

Normally, Edward loved a good hot dog. Ketchup and onions with a cold Coke was one of his favorite meals. When he was little, his dad would bring him downtown and they would sit along the river, munching on their meal from one of the street vendors. Edward had thought it was magic.

It saddened him to have that memory tainted by Rachel Fitzgerald. She was no different than he remembered her to be. She always had an angle to work and was extremely pushy.

The three of them, Edward, Rachel and Charlie, sat on one of the benches along the river and chowed down on dogs and Cokes. Charlie seemed pretty content and Rachel looked ecstatic. Edward was alone in his misery.

"This is extortion," Edward said as he balled up the foil his dog had been wrapped in.

"Please. All I asked for was a hot dog. I don't think that's too much to ask for in exchange." Rachel took a dainty sip of her soda and set it back down on the bench between them.

"Are you done yet?" Edward snapped, feeling like they'd already wasted most of the day.

"Edward, you need to sit back and enjoy life more. Are you this angry all the time? I'm not quite sure what Bella sees in you if that's the case."

Edward clenched his fist and shot a frustrated look at Charlie. He smiled and held his soda up in greeting. He was enjoying the verbal exchange. Edward's turn at playing detective wasn't going as well as Charlie's had.

"So, are you going to tell us where to find Joshua now, or are we going to sit here and wait for the Easter bunny to show up?" Edward kicked a pebble across the wide path that led to the concrete wall that kept the Chicago River at bay. The action was about as satisfying as a garden salad for dinner, but he couldn't kick what he really wanted to kick yet. He had to find him first.

Rachel took her time finishing her hot dog, taking small bites and chewing each one thoroughly. She clearly enjoyed a good dog and bugging the hell out of Edward at the same time was just the icing. When she finished, she wiped her mouth with her napkin and carefully folded it into the foil wrapper.

"Josh is on vacation. His parents live in Michigan, but if you hurry you could probably get to their house before they call it a night."

Edward jumped up and motioned for Charlie to take out his pen and paper. "Address and phone number. Please," he said through clenched teeth, angry that this woman was making his life even more difficult than it needed to be.

Rachel rattled off the information he requested. She watched them hurry away and smiled to herself as she stood gracefully. "Josh isn't who you're looking for, though," she shouted after their rapidly retreating figures. She watched as they came to a sudden stop and turned back around slowly.

She pretended to examine her fingernails as Edward stalked closer. When his feet came into view, she looked up. Edward was pissed. Rachel obviously enjoyed pissing him off.

"And who, exactly, are we looking for?" Edward said slowly.

"You're looking for J.S. Abbott, right?" She asked innocently.

Edward closed his eyes and bit back every foul word he wanted to hurl at her. If she was wasting his time again, he'd toss her into the river himself. "Yes, we're looking for J.S. Abbott. The man who wrote the article about Bella."

"Are you sure J.S. is a man?" She asked.

Charlie stepped forward when Edward started growling. "Now Miss Fitzgerald, I think we've been pretty accommodating. You've wasted at least an hour of our time. Please do us all a favor and just give us the information we need."

Rachel pouted, sad that playtime was over. "Fine. J.S. is a man. That name's an alias though. His regular articles appear under his real name. I can give you his name and address."

Charlie pulled out his pad and pen, ready to add more clues to their growing lists of suspects. "Go ahead," he said, when Rachel continued to stand there silently.

"I have a condition."

Edward's shoulders sagged and he turned his back on the scene in front of him. Of course she had a condition. The hot dog had been too easy. Wasting their time had been too easy. Allowing him to assume that they had the right person had been too easy. He scrubbed his face with his hands and sighed in defeat.

"What do you want?" He asked after he rejoined their little triangle of intrigue.

"That's easy. An interview – with you." She smiled triumphantly.

Edward pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at her. "You've planned this all along, haven't you? You knew about this article before it went to print. You knew that I would come here, wanting to get some answers and you knew that you would have me by the balls."

Rachel's eyes flicked down his body and back up again. "I don't have you by the balls. And I wouldn't say that this was planned quite the way you mean. Yes, I knew in part what J.S. had planned. I knew he was writing a series of articles about new teachers in the community and that he wanted to write one about your girlfriend. I didn't have her name, and didn't put everything together until I met the both of you at that Scrabble club event that Josh dragged me to. Did I know that it would get Bella fired? Not really. I assumed that she would have gotten clearance from the school before she talked to J.S., and was surprised when I found out that she had even agreed to be interviewed. According to Josh, she'd been very tight-lipped over the past few months about her boyfriend and her job in general."

"Fuck," Edward said. How many times had he accused Bella of being too open at her Scrabble club meetings? He'd been so afraid that she would say something that would expose him. That wasn't fair of him to do that to her. She should have been able to talk about her boyfriend and not been afraid of the repercussions.

Rachel smirked. "Indeed. So, do we have a deal?"

"I don't do interviews," Edward said, repeating what he'd been telling reporters for the past three years.

"That's exactly why this is what I want in exchange. Don't you see that your refusal to speak only made things worse? If you'd just opened up in the beginning and given your side, no one would have cared after a few days. This is your chance, Edward. Tell the story that people have been dying to know. Clear the air and you won't have to hide any longer. Bella won't have to hide either."

"It's old news, Rachel. No one cares anymore. Besides, there's been enough hurt for Tanya, her family, me and my family. No good would come from re-opening all of that." Edward was on the verge of begging with her for something else. Yes, he'd been ready to open himself up more to these types of situations, but that had been with the band. He could have handled talking about himself so long as they wanted to discuss his music. Talking about Tanya was not something he ever wanted to do again.

"I have three magazine publications that say otherwise, Edward. All I have to do is make one phone call, and I'll have an editor drooling over the idea of publishing your story. You're interesting, Edward. Your entire life is one big ball of privilege, strife, a fall from grace and rise back to the top. It's great material. People need inspiration now, Edward. I promise that you'll have approval over the final copy. We'll make it tasteful. Something we can both be proud of." Rachel's eyes were wild now with possibilities. Edward could practically see her mind working.

Edward took a deep breath and closed his eyes. All he saw was Bella. He knew what he needed to do. He opened his eyes to say the one word that would seal the deal when Charlie stepped forward.

"You don't have to do this, Edward. We can find another way to track this man down. She is not our only option." Charlie shot Rachel a look full of disgust.

Edward looked at Charlie and felt closer to him than he ever had before. "It's the easiest way, Charlie. It could take us weeks to track him down. I can't wait weeks. Bella can't wait weeks."

Edward pushed his shoulders back and stuck his hand out to Rachel. "I'll do it. But, two things. I want my lawyer to look over our agreement first. I don't trust you. And it is never, under any circumstances, to be printed by the Record."

Rachel smirked and shook Edward's hand firmly. "You should trust me. I have the answers to all your questions."

***

**Bella: Friday Morning**

It was early when Bella uncurled herself from the bench in the hospital's lobby. Her arms and legs were stiff and her back felt like it was in a vice. The sky beyond the parking lot was beginning to grow lighter with the dawn of the new day. Bella hoped like hell it would be a better one than the day before.

Another trip to the ladies room led to another trip to her booth in the cafeteria. The breakfast shift had come on and the smell of eggs, bacon, and toast wafting through the room reminded her that she hadn't eaten since breakfast the day before. She soon found herself digging into a plate of hash browns and eggs and gulping down a glass of orange juice. She refused to think about anything other than what was in front of her. No Alice. No Edward. No lack of employment. Just her and her breakfast.

She watched the hospital staff begin to trickle into the cafeteria in two and threes. They made her curious about the life they must lead and how selfless they had to be in order to spend so much time giving themselves to others. Bella had planned to spend her career imparting the wisdom of Shakespeare, Bronte, Austen, Alcott, and others onto the youth that passed through her classroom. Well, she'd ruined that, hadn't she?

She slid down in her booth as a cloud of self-pity began to descend. She could try to hide from it, but all the problems from the day before weren't going to disappear like magic. She would have to face them at some point and even admit to her own culpability. She'd made some mistakes and that was the only reason she was in her current situation. She'd been too trusting, too willing to discuss her private life when she should have shown more prudence. She felt no closer to knowing that person's identity than she had the day before. She'd been pretty careless in the way she treated her responsibilities to the school. She had broken the confidentiality clause; several times in fact. Emmett had no other choice but to let her go. She felt a multitude of emotions flicker past: embarrassment, sadness, regret, worry. At the moment, she could only suffer in her little cloud of emotion and try to get through the day the best she could. The time for sorting through her life would come later.

She watched a doctor pick up his tray and leave the cafeteria, leaving behind a folded newspaper. Bella waited a few minutes, then stood and walked to the table. She frowned when she realized that it was the Chicago Record. She wasn't sure that she ever wanted to read that particular publication again. A glance at the date told her it was that morning's edition, so she picked it up reluctantly and shuffled back to her table.

She read it thoroughly for the next hour, not able to decide if she was glad or disappointed that she hadn't warranted a follow-up article. What could they possibly say after all? That she'd been fired for talking too much? The Cullen Academy certainly wouldn't issue a statement to that effect and Bella doubted that anyone other than the school community was even aware of what had happened.

She thought again of Jessica and Josh. Bella felt guilty for suspecting Jessica of being the one behind the article. Thankfully, Jess had been pretty forgiving and it probably wouldn't affect their friendship. Bella didn't know what to think about Josh. If he was the author of the article, she wasn't sure how he'd gotten so much information on her. She may have talked to him some about her life in Forks and working at the Cullen Academy, but not to the extent that had appeared in print. Of course, he was a reporter. He probably knew ways to find out her grades from college, how much she owed on her Visa bill and the number of books she purchased each month. Bella shook her head. She was having a hard time reconciling Josh and J.S. Abbott as the same person. He'd always been so nice to her…

Her phone rang, and Bella picked it up hesitantly. She choked out a laugh when she saw who her caller was and then double checked the time. Why was Jacob calling her at seven o'clock in the morning? Bella answered the phone, concerned that maybe her bad luck had spilled into day number two.

"Bells, are you ok?" Jacob's warm voice rushed through the phone and into her ear. Bella sank into the booth, glad to have a friend to talk to at last.

"Jacob, I'm having quite possibly the worst week ever."

"Why? What's going on? Charlie was supposed to call me last night to let me know that he'd arrived safely, but I didn't realize until I woke up this morning that I hadn't heard from him." Jacob took a breath and Bella heard what sounded like heavy objects being shifted around. "Shit – it's still kind of early there isn't it? And on your day off too. I'm sorry for calling so early."

Bella sighed and closed her eyes. She proceeded to fill Jacob in on what had happened yesterday at the school, Charlie's safe arrival and her abrupt departure to the hospital for Alice. When she finished, Jacob was so quiet that she thought they'd lost the connection. She called his name softly.

"I'm still here. Just processing everything. I'm sorry to hear about scary chick – I mean Alice. I know she's a good friend of yours."

Bella smiled, grateful that Jacob was able to show compassion for someone who'd once threatened to cut his balls off. "Thanks. She's going to be ok. She and her husband have some decisions they need to make right now, and it will be stressful for the both of them." Bella pulled a pen out of her purse and started doodling on the newspaper. Just random shapes and lines while she talked to Jacob and tried to sort through her life yet again.

"What can I do to help? Do you want me to come out there? I could defend your honor. Wait…where's Edward? You haven't mentioned him at all." Jake sounded angry now and Bella cringed. She purposely hadn't mentioned Edward because she didn't want to hear "I told you so" from Jacob.

"Edward was obviously upset," Bella said, drawing a small circle now on the newspaper. "I haven't seen or talked to him since yesterday morning."

Jacob's growl was audible through the phone. "Nothing at all? Not a phone call or a text message?"

Bella paused in her fifth time around the same circle. "Well, he left me one message saying he was working some things out. Other than that, nothing."

"Working what things out?" Jacob said quietly. Too quietly, actually. Jacob was rarely quiet.

"I don't know," Bella said exasperatedly, tossing her pen back into her purse. "He's angry. He's hurt. I'm sure he thinks that I've planned this all along." Bella choked back the cry that was trying desperately to escape from her throat. "I can't talk about this now, Jake."

"Bella, are you sure about Edward? I can't believe I'm saying this, but he seemed pretty devoted to you. Maybe he's doing something to try to get your job back."

Bella scoffed. "Yeah, right. Jacob, you don't even know the whole story and I'm not going to fill you in now. Just trust me when I say that what I did was probably the worst possible thing I could have done to him. I took something from his past and brought it back to life and gave him ample reason to doubt our entire relationship. There's no way he's trying to help me now." Bella turned to stare out the window on the other side of the cafeteria, away from the prying eyes of the other patrons in the room. She knew that if she looked in a mirror, her face told the whole story of her life crumbling before her eyes. She didn't want anyone else to see that.

"My offer stands. If you need me there, I'll come."

Bella's heart clenched. She wished she could just lean on Jacob. What a strange role reversal for them. He'd come to her so many times over the years needing her support and friendship, which she'd freely given. Now it was Jacob's turn to offer support, and Bella couldn't take it from him. They were well on their way to having a good friendship again, and inviting him to Bear Lake would be a mistake. Bella needed to rely on herself to get through this mess. She would figure it out eventually, and she could do it without putting a strain on their burgeoning re-friendship.

"I appreciate the offer, but I really just need an ear right now. You can do that from Port Angeles," she told him, with only a small amount of regret.

Jacob sighed again. It felt like years before he spoke. "Ok. Call me back if you need to talk again. I have to go to the shop early today, but I'll keep my cell on me all day."

"Thanks, Jake. I'm glad we talked today. I actually feel a little better." She did feel better too. Not like all her problems were going to magically disappear, but like she could actually face them now.

Bella ended the call and thrummed her fingers on the table, lost in thought. She had the strength and the courage to handle her problems now, but she didn't know how to start.

***

**Edward: Thursday Night**

"You're sure this address is correct?" Edward asked for the tenth time that night.

Charlie stared at him out of the corner of his eye as he slunk further down in to the front seat of the rental car. "I'm positive. It's the address your friend gave us."

"She's not my friend," Edward muttered, staring straight ahead in disbelief. He couldn't believe that they'd gone in almost a complete circle. His Volvo was parked several parking spots to their left. Bella's apartment stood dark and silent. To their right was the building that J.S. Abbott, aka Jack Senna, lived in. The mystery behind how the reporter had gotten his "interview" had been solved.

The windows in his unit were still dark. They'd knocked earlier and no one had answered. They'd peered in through the windows without any success. Charlie had wanted to talk the office manager into letting them into the apartment, but had failed before he'd even begun. Office hours ended at six o'clock, and that was hours ago.

Their one stroke of luck had come in the form of Jessica Stanley. Edward had located her phone number and she'd willingly answered all their questions.

"Of course I know Jack," she told them, while Edward and Charlie worked their interrogative routine for hopefully the last time. "He works out in the gym every morning with us. He's a nice man. His wife died last year, but he seems to be in good spirits most days."

Edward and Charlie shared a grimace while Jessica prattled on about her exercise routine, her boyfriend, and the benefits of spray-tanning. She'd thankfully released them from her verbal diarrhea not too long after that and they'd retreated to the safety of Charlie's rental car.

Edward had called the hospital while they waited in stakeout mode for Jack to return home. Alice was still listed in stable condition, which was probably good. A part of him wanted to go to the hospital to be there for Alice, Jasper and Bella, but they were so close to cornering the man behind all their problems that he couldn't tear himself away. He called Bella's cell but was sent to voicemail yet again. He couldn't imagine that very much would tear her from Alice's side at that moment, so he wasn't concerned about her whereabouts. Besides, her apartment was in clear view of the rental car. They'd see her car pull in if she decided to go home.

"Do you do this very often, Charlie?" Edward asked as he sipped his third cup of coffee.

"Waiting in parking lots? Not too often," Charlie said with an amused sideward glance.

"Stakeouts, I meant. Though I suppose they could be the same thing. I was just curious about the types of situations you must find yourself in, being a police officer."

Charlie rolled his shoulders and tried to get comfortable. "Forks is usually pretty quiet. We get drunks, bar fights, domestic disputes, runaways, the same as any other town. We pulled in the county last year to assist in breaking up a meth lab, but that was the most excitement I'd seen in a long time."

Edward grunted, understanding lack of excitement very well. Sitting in a car for hours on end lacked excitement.

Charlie sat forward slowly and narrowed his eyes at the apartment they'd been intently watching. "Who do we have here?" He asked excitedly.

Edward sat forward as well, searching the apartment for a light or some other sign of life, but seeing nothing. "What do you see?" Edward asked as he continued to search the darkness.

"By the door," Charlie said, "crouched on the ground. It looks like our man is trying to slink back home without anyone seeing him. Wait here." Charlie opened the car door quietly and slipped out. They'd turned off the interior light earlier and he shut the door with a quiet click.

"The hell I will," Edward muttered as he followed Charlie out of the car and across the parking lot. He knew they probably looked like idiots to anyone who was watching; they half ran across the lot, bent at the waist, heads shifting from side to side in constant motion.

Edward crouched behind a bush that lined the walkway leading to the first floor apartments. He didn't want to get in Charlie's way, but he also couldn't stand the thought of being left behind. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he watched Charlie creep up behind the man crouched at Jack's door. Edward couldn't tell what the man was doing, but he seemed to be struggling with getting his key to work.

With a loud warrior yell, Charlie pounced upon the man at the door. Edward watched as the two men scuffled for a moment, but Charlie shortly had the situation under control. He had the man pinned against the wall and his hands cuffed behind his back before Edward could even make his way from behind the bush.

Edward approached slowly. He was finally going to meet the man who'd cause him so much grief. He couldn't wait to put all the final pieces together.

Charlie pushed the man's head against the wall, and he spit out a loud expletive. Edward froze as he realized that he recognized the man's voice. He shook his head and walked to stand on the man's other side so he could look into his face.

"Edward, what the hell is going on?" Emmett asked as Charlie ground his head a little harder against the brick wall. "Ow…would you stop that, already?"

"Let him go, Charlie. This is my brother, Emmett."

Charlie stepped back and stared at him in disbelief. "This isn't Jack Senna?"

"No. Emmett's the dumbass who fired Bella this morning."

"Well, maybe the handcuffs were a good idea after all," Charlie said as Emmett turned to face them. "What brings you by tonight, Emmett?"

Emmett shook his cuffed hands behind his back. "Could you let me out of these now? I'm obviously not a criminal."

Charlie grunted but fished the key out of his pocket anyway. Once his hands were free, Emmett rubbed them gingerly. "That kind of hurt," he said, looking between Edward and Charlie.

"Why are you here?" Edward asked.

Emmett grimaced. "The same reason you are. I'm here to talk to Jack. Who are you?" He asked, looking at Charlie in confusion. Edward quickly made the introductions. Once Emmett realized he was talking to Bella's dad, he stopped looking at him like he wanted to punch his face for being handled roughly.

"You thought picking the lock on the door was the best way to talk to Jack?" Charlie asked, placing his fists on his hips.

"I didn't know what else to do," Emmett said defensively. He straightened his shirt and tugged at the collar a few times. He looked just like he used to when he and Edward were kids and he got caught skipping chores or sneaking cookies out of the kitchen. "I've been sitting around for a few hours, waiting for Jack to come home, and I got bored. I thought maybe I would find some of his story notes inside and figure out how he got Bella to talk to him."

Edward narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Why are you looking for Jack?" Edward was confused. Emmett had been unwilling to help Bella just that morning. He'd begged him to give her a chance to plead her case, and Emmett had refused. Despite the conversation Edward had with his father that morning, he wasn't convinced that Emmett had Bella's best interests at heart. He was too much a part of the school. He wouldn't allow himself to become any more involved in the situation that necessary. Or so Edward had thought.

"Look, I feel terrible about this morning. You know I didn't want to fire Bella but my hands were tied. Mr. Aro and Mr. Caius had me out of bed at five this morning, ranting and raving about how we'd lost the Diamond Award. They needed someone to blame, and Bella was it. She obviously talked to someone, Edward. I had to let her go. Do you think that gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling? It doesn't. I felt terrible all day. At the family meeting, which you missed by the way, we decided that talking to the reporter as quietly as possible would be our best plan."

Edward cursed under his breath at the reminder about the family meeting. "Dad wanted us all to get together. I forgot." Edward shook his head, upset that he'd forgotten his family's desires to help with the situation as well. "Did you decide anything else?"

Emmett leaned against the side of the building as he looked between Edward and Charlie. "We tried calling Bella, but her phone was off. Rosie and Mom want to have lunch with her or something tomorrow."

"Shit," Edward said in frustration. "You probably don't know then. Alice is in the hospital. Bella rushed over there this afternoon. I think her phone's been off all day."

Emmett shook his head in confusion. "What kind of a goat-fuck day is this? Is she going to be ok?"

Edward looked to Charlie who only shrugged in response. "I guess so. She's in stable condition. We've been concentrating more on this Jack guy today."

"The sooner we talk to Jack the better then," Emmett said.

Edward shuffled his feet. The entire situation hit too close to home for him. His own fateful day where his brother had been forced to fire him. The pain of not being believed by his own family. The trust that had been broken and taken years to recover. Edward knew in that instant that Emmett wasn't only doing this for Bella, he was doing it for Edward too. It was his way of apologizing for everything that had passed between them over the years. They'd been well on their way to being close again, like they had when they were growing up. This mess had the potential to drive an irreversible wedge between them, and Emmett had done the only thing he knew how: trusted in Bella and Edward and gone out of his way to show that he wanted to help. That he wasn't turning his back on them.

"How did you know where to find Jack?" Charlie asked while Edward continued to mull over his revelation.

Emmett frowned and looked at his brother. "The same way you did, I suppose."

"We got his name and address from someone at the paper," Charlie told him.

Emmett shifted his gaze between the two of them in confusion before settling upon Edward. "Don't you know who Jack is?"

Edward focused on Emmett as he tried to sort through all the information in his head. "He's the reporter who works for the Record," Edward replied slowly, not sure where Emmett was going with this.

Emmett shook his head. "Do you remember the music teacher we had before you?"

Edward nodded. "Zafrina something or other. All the kids called her Mrs. S…." Edward froze as he put the final piece of the puzzle into place.

Emmett confirmed what Edward had been so very slow to put together, but should have realized all along. "Mrs. Senna. She was Jack's wife."


	37. Chapter 37

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Twilight.

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**Edward: Early Friday Morning**

As day broke over the trees to the east side of the parking lot, Edward groaned and stretched. He, Charlie and Emmett had decided around 2 am to take turns staying awake, allowing the other two to get some sleep during their night-long stakeout. Charlie's rental car was roomy, but not comfortable enough to sleep three grown men. Edward rubbed his eyes for the hundredth time, trying to stay awake. Another fifteen minutes and he would be able to wake Charlie up for his shift.

Emmett's not-so-soft snores rattled from the backseat while Edward pondered their next move. They'd been sitting in the parking lot all night, and still no sign of Jack Senna, aka J.S. Abbott. They'd discussed where the man could have gone, but none of their suggestions had actually seemed plausible. Now that it was daytime again, they would need to refocus their efforts. Try Jack from another angle maybe. And Edward desperately needed to talk to Bella.

It had been almost 24 hours since that horrible confrontation in Emmett's office, and Edward still felt sick about it. He hadn't seen Bella since and he missed her. He'd realized during the long night that she'd needed him yesterday and he'd abandoned her. He had felt so strongly that he needed to fix this problem for her that he'd forgotten that what she needed the most was just him by her side. He planned to remedy that mistake as soon as possible.

Edward bent down to pick his coffee cup off the floor. He was sure that it was empty, but he could really use a hit of caffeine and was desperate enough to suck at whatever dregs were left at the bottom of the cup. When he sat back up, he stared in disbelief at the sight before him.

He watched wide-eyed as a man wearing a t-shirt and a pair of shorts walked calmly out of Jack Senna's apartment, locked the door behind him, and headed towards the inner courtyard of the apartment complex.

"Shit," Edward said as he tossed the coffee cup back to the floor of the car. "Guys wake up," he said loudly as he opened the car door and stood to his full height for the first time in hours. God, his back ached. He leaned back into the car and found Charlie staring at him curiously. He nodded his head appreciatively at his alertness.

When Edward glanced in the backseat, he shook his head sadly. Emmett was stretched out on the back seat as much as he could. One arm was flung along the headrest, his hand flat against the back window. His head lay against the door behind Charlie and his foot was pressed against the window of the opposite door. His other leg was bent at a funny angle along the floor of the backseat. It was a strange position and Edward wished he could take a picture for future blackmail opportunities. Unfortunately, they had a reporter to catch and no more time for fun.

"Emmett, wake up. I found him," Edward called as he banged his hand on the roof of the car. Emmett snorted and shifted his legs, but quickly returned to snoring.

Charlie stepped out of the car and yanked open the door that supported Emmett's head, causing him to shift tragically head first towards the pavement. Emmett jolted awake moments before impact and stopped his forward progression by placing his hand onto the pavement before his head hit it.

"Hey," Emmett said as he blinked sleepily and stared up at Charlie. "What was that for?"

"You snore louder than a chainsaw," Charlie said with the hint of a smile on his face. He and Emmett had strangely bonded over the course of the night and he meant his new acquaintance no real malice. "Edward thinks that we found him." Charlie met Edward's eyes over the roof of the car and Edward nodded his confirmation.

They waited for Emmett to extract himself from the backseat of the car before they planned their next step.

"It doesn't make sense," Edward said in confusion as they watched Emmett jump up and down a few times next to the car. "He walked out of his apartment like he'd been there all night. He wasn't home when we got here and we've been keeping watch all night long. How did he get past us?"

Charlie frowned and scratched the back of his head. "He must have snuck in during the night. Maybe sometime after we started taking shifts." He looked Edward in the eye and Edward froze in fear. "Did you fall asleep, Edward?" Charlie's voice was low and calm; he'd shifted back into Chief Swan mode. Edward gulped and shook his head fervently.

Charlie turned his steely-eyed look onto Emmett who had thankfully stopped jumping around like he was on a pogo stick. "Emmett? Did you fall asleep while on duty?"

Emmett stood up straight and thrust his shoulders back with military precision. Edward half expected him to click his heels together and salute.

"I was awake during both my shifts, Charlie. I want to catch this guy just as much as both of you do," Emmett said earnestly.

Charlie blew out a breath and looked up at the sky. "I don't know how he got past us then. I didn't fall asleep. Hell, I had to pee like a racehorse at one point but I waited until Edward's shift before I took care of business."

Edward nodded sympathetically. In the end it didn't matter that he'd gotten past them. It just mattered that they were getting ready to confront him.

"Um," Emmett said, gaining their attention again. "I may have left the car for a few minutes during the night." He looked sheepishly between Charlie and Edward, neither of whom looked happy at his revelation. "I tried to wake one of you up, but you were both out. But I wasn't gone for longer than five minutes."

Edward groaned and swiped his hand across his face. Five minutes would have been long enough for someone to come home and escape into their apartment unnoticed. "Emmett," Edward said his name impatiently. His brother was a terrific principal, an awesome educator, a great family man and the best brother he could ask for. He was not, however, a good detective.

"I'm sorry," Emmett said, taking a step back and holding his hands up and out. "It couldn't be helped. Sometimes you just have to go."

Charlie frowned at Emmett for a long moment before turning back to Edward. "We need to make a plan. Should we go in strong or sneak attack? Do you think we'll need to use force or will this be a peaceful confrontation?"

Edward smiled as Charlie's questions filled the air. After a day of running around with little results and a restless night with nothing to show for it, they were finally getting some action. He felt like a member of the SWAT team, meeting with their commanding officer before storming the building to rescue the hostages. He rubbed his hands in anticipation of being the hero of the operation.

"Jack was always a pretty laid back guy," Emmett said as he started hopping from one foot to the other. Edward wasn't the only one ready to let loose. "I don't think we're going to need to restrain him. Maybe block the exits though so he doesn't run away before we can talk to him."

Charlie nodded his head in agreement. "Ok. This is what we'll do. I'll go in first and distract him. Edward, you come in behind me and block the door on the east. Emmett, you take the rear and block the main door."

They watched Charlie in fascination as he closed his eyes, slapped his hands against his thighs once and puffed out a breath. When he opened his eyes he stared straight ahead and clenched his jaw. "Let's go," he said, leading them across the parking lot and towards the fitness center where everything had started.

It was early yet and the air was still cool, but Edward didn't feel it. He felt the blood pumping strongly through his veins. He felt the slap of the concrete underneath the soles of his shoes. He felt his brother walking behind him, supporting him as Edward never thought he would.

Charlie slowed their pace as they approached the fitness center. It stood in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by the buildings of the apartment complex. The glare of the rising sun off the windows prevented them from seeing into the room, but Edward was positive this was where Jack had gone. Charlie motioned for him and Emmett to hold back a moment, and Edward watched impatiently as Charlie opened the door and slipped inside the room. Edward waited a moment, then followed him with Emmett close behind.

As soon as Edward cleared the door, he headed to the door on the other side of the room, just as Charlie had told him. He heard the main door click shut and glanced back to make sure that Emmett was also where he was supposed to be. He stood in front of the door, am imposing force with his arms stretched across his chest and legs spread wide. It would take a few men to get past Emmett. Fortunately, they only had one to deal with.

With anticipation, Edward scanned the room for the man in question. He'd never met Jack Senna, or his wife, but he knew that they were retirement age. Emmett had only ever had nice things to say about the couple. Edward was curious to see what had made this man change his spots so completely.

Charlie stood in the corner of the room, next to a man who was holding a barbell with more ease than Edward would have been capable of handling. His hair was silver and cut very short. He wore the red tank top and shorts that Edward had seen as he'd escaped his apartment ten minutes prior. Edward ground his teeth as he thought about all the harm this man had caused in the past twenty-four hours.

Charlie's voice rose above the din of the television that hung in the corner. "Jack, we'd like to have a word with you. My name's Charlie Swan. You wrote an article about my daughter that's caused her a whole lot of trouble."

Jack set the barbell down on the rack and braced his hands on his knees. When he looked up, his mouth was set in a grim line. "Emmett Cullen. I've been expecting you," he said with a hint of anger in his voice, ignoring Charlie entirely. "The way you treated my wife is despicable. You should be ashamed of yourself. Zaffy gave her heart to that school for thirty years, and how did you reward her? You pushed her out the minute your younger brother came running home, begging for a job. She deserved better!"

Edward stepped forward, incredulous at the man's outburst. "You're the one who should be ashamed. You've damaged an innocent woman's reputation. Bella had nothing to do with whatever grievances you have with the school. There is no excuse you can give that would justify what you've done."

Jack continued to stare at Emmett, not acknowledging that Edward had even spoken. Edward turned to his brother who returned Jack's gaze steadily.

"You treated her like garbage," Jack said, raising his voice. "She was crushed when you forced her out. She didn't want to start over at a different school. She even stopped giving private lessons. Her whole life was music and teaching and it all disappeared after that."

Emmett finally stepped forward, a look of sadness and pity on his face. "I didn't force Zafrina to retire. I suggested hiring Edward to lighten her load. She started dropping hints about how tired she was. I wanted to add some new music classes to the curriculum and she wasn't happy with my suggestion. She just wasn't happy teaching anymore, Jack. When I told her that I'd hired Edward anyway, she gave her notice. We were more than happy to issue her pension a few years early. She'd been very loyal to my parents and the school over the years."

"That's not what happened," Jack said loudly, standing suddenly. Charlie took a step back, and inched his hand towards his belt where his weapon usually was. He cursed under his breath when he realized he'd left his weapon at home, locked in the cabinet. He didn't think that Jack would turn violent, but he needed to be prepared.

"She told me how you forced her to quit. She told me all about it!" Jack's hands clenched into fists. Edward and Emmett both took a step forward, afraid that the man would lash out at Charlie in his anger.

Emmett held his hands up as he stepped closer. "I understand that you're upset, but that's not what happened. I can call some of the board members if you need further reassurance. Zafrina handed in a letter of resignation. They all got copies of it. I'm sorry if this news is troubling to you, but it's the truth."

Jack paused and it was the first time Edward saw him give any hesitation at all. From the moment they'd stepped into the room, he'd been so sure and confident of himself. Edward hated that this was what it was boiling down to. So many lives altered because of one misconception.

"I was so angry," Jack whispered as he sat down on the bench with a thud. "She loved that job. I had to fight back. Needed you to suffer the way my Zaffy suffered."

Edward continued to be incredulous at the warped maze that this man's mind seemed to follow. "But you didn't just make the school suffer. Bella lost her job. She can't teach anymore. Just like your wife, she loves to teach. What is she supposed to do now?"

Jack's eyes flashed as he acknowledged Edward for the first time. "If I remember correctly, the Cullen Academy has a fairly strict confidentiality clause. I learned all sorts of things about the school just by coming to exercise in the morning. Someone was speaking out of turn."

Edward winced at the truth behind Jack's words. He glanced at Emmett to gauge his reaction to this piece of news, but his face was a blank mask. Edward wished that he could read his brother's mind. He desperately wanted to know how this revelation would affect Bella's future at the school. He turned back to Jack, trying to defend Bella the best he could. "What you did was still wrong," he said. "I'm sure Bella thought her conversations were just between her and her friend. She wouldn't have talked to you without saying something to me or Emmett. Your employer will be very interested in discovering just how uncooperative your source was for this story."

"You think I care?" Jack said in disbelief. "My wife is dead. Nothing else mattered other than her. She's gone. If you had been more of a man and been able to stand on your own two feet instead of slinking to your brother with your hand out, Zaffy would still be alive."

Edward ground his teeth so hard he swore he could have loosened one of his fillings. This man was unbelievable. "You don't know what you're talking about," he said quietly, staring the older man down. Edward desperately tried to quiet the voice in his head that agreed with Jack. The voice that had lurked in his head for years and Edward had never been able to ignore. It told him that his music was trite and boring. He would never be a success. He was a failure.

"Edward was completely qualified for the job," Emmett said as he shot Edward a concerned look. "The school was lucky to get someone with his qualifications. Really, Jack, these accusations are becoming absurd. What would Zafrina think if she heard you?"

"That's the whole point. She can't hear me. I'm here, alone, doing the only thing I can to make things better for her. It's up to me to fix this, in honor of her memory. Me." Jack poked himself hard in the middle of his chest. He sat down hard on the bench and turned his face away from their inquisitive eyes.

Edward sucked in a breath at Jack's words. Isn't that what he'd been doing too? Trying to make a horrible situation better for Bella without any input from her on it? What if this hadn't been the way she wanted it to be handled? What if, together, they could have come up with a better solution?

"What would your wife have wanted you to do?" Edward heard Charlie ask quietly as he sat down on the bench next to Jack. "Would she have been proud of the way you've handled yourself? Would she thank you?"

Edward inched closer to Emmett, keeping his eyes on Charlie on Jack as they talked. "This is sad," he whispered to his brother as they watched Jack place his face into his hands.

Emmett grimaced. "I don't know what to do," he whispered back to Edward. "He obviously thought he was exacting revenge against the school with all those articles this year. And now this 'interview' with Bella. We'll have to contact the newspaper and let them know what we've discovered. Let them handle it from there."

Edward grunted and shook his head as he turned away from the two men in the corner. "Figures Charlie would try to help him. They both know something about losing a wife."

Emmett nodded in understanding. "Zafrina died last summer. The man's probably still grieving. I'm sure that's what fueled the attacks on the school this year. Bella, unfortunately, got caught in the middle."

Edward turned to his brother with hope gleaming in his eyes. "Do you think Bella can get her job back now? We can prove that Jack was listening in on what must have been private conversations between her and Jessica. Surely the school board would show some leniency?"

Emmett's mouth was set in a grim line. "I don't think that will work, Edward. Regardless of the method, Bella still is in violation of her contract. I'm sorry."

"Fuck," Edward said under his breath, turning away from his brother in frustration. "What am I supposed to tell her now? This solves nothing."

Emmett clasped his shoulder. "She can appeal the decision at the next board meeting, but that's not until after school ends. I really am sorry, Edward. I love Bella. She's a great teacher. I hate that this happened."

"Me too," Edward said sadly. He rubbed his hand across his face again, feeling the adrenaline leave his system. He suddenly felt exhausted and just wanted to climb into bed for days. "I need to go find Bella. Will you and Charlie be ok here?"

"Yeah, we will. Charlie's a cool guy. I'm glad he was here when all this happened."

Edward smiled for the first time in hours. "Me too. I'm going to like having him as a father-in-law."

***

**Bella: Late Friday Morning**

At the permitted hour, Bella made her way up to the third floor to visit with Alice. Jasper had been down earlier to tell her that Alice was awake and would be sent home in the afternoon. Bella wanted to give them whatever support she could.

The hospital corridors were confusing. Signs were posted everywhere, but the arrows and words could only take you so far. At some point, you had to take a leap of faith that you were entering the right room and not that of a stranger. Fortunately, Alice had lucked out and been put into a private room. As Bella entered, having only gotten lost once, she saw her friend sitting up in bed talking to Jasper.

Bella quickly crossed the room, eager to talk to Alice. "I didn't think I'd be able to find you again. The halls are confusing," Bella said nervously as her eyes roamed Alice's face. She didn't like what she saw. "How are you feeling?" Bella asked as she pulled up the chair she'd been sitting in the day before next to the bad. Alice was pale and looked impossibly smaller. Her hospital gown made her pale complexion look washed out instead of luminous. Her dark hair was slicked down and back from her face. Her eyes, however, were just the same as always. Dark and filled with her own unique spark. They gave Bella hope that Alice would come out the other side stronger and better than ever.

"I'm sore," Alice replied as she moved to sit up straighter in the bed. Bella looked across the bed to Jasper for confirmation. He pursed his lips and looked away quickly. "Hey! None of that secret talk! I'm sitting right here. Besides, I don't think my husband and my best friend should have a secret language. What will the neighbors think?" Bella managed a weak smile for Alice's joke.

"How are you really doing?" Bella asked quietly. She hesitated to open up such a delicate topic of conversation, only wanting to do so if it was what Alice really wanted.

Alice grabbed Jasper's hand and swallowed. "I'm sad. I'm just very, very sad. I didn't know about the….the baby." Alice paused and blinked a few times as she stared straight ahead at the blank wall in front of her. "Everything's been out of whack for so long, and after what the doctors told me a few months ago, it just never occurred to me that…"

Bella nodded in understanding at what was left unsaid. She felt helpless in that moment. There were no words of comfort she could offer that wouldn't seem inadequate. So she said the only thing that did make sense. "I love you, Alice. And I'm glad you're going to be ok."

"I'm glad you're here, Bella." Alice hesitated and looked at Jasper before continuing. She took a deep breath before turning back to Bella. "Jasper and I have talked, and we're going to look into adoption. The doctors strongly suggest that I not try to get pregnant anymore and I, well, I can't go through this again. Oh hell," Alice said as a tear made its way down her cheek. "I didn't want to cry," she told Bella with a look of chagrin.

Bella patted her leg through the sheets. "I think you deserve the tears after what you've been through," she said as she leaned in closer. "I won't tell anyone."

Alice shifted against the pillows propped at her back Bella saw that flash of strength in her eyes again and just like that, the tears were gone. "We need to talk about something else. What day is it anyway? I feel completely out of the loop. Your dad was supposed to fly in yesterday, wasn't he? Is he spending time with Edward while you're here? Now I feel bad because I've taken you away from him."

Bella bit her lip and sat back in her chair as she realized it had been a very long time since she'd heard from her father. She had no idea where he'd slept the night before or anything. "Shit – I have no idea where Charlie is," she said as she dug in her purse for her cell phone.

"What?" Jasper and Alice asked sharply in unison.

"I left him at my apartment yesterday when I came over here, but when Jessica stopped by later he was gone and had left a note. I doubt he'd go to Edward's after everything that happened," Bella talked while she held her phone up in the air, trying to get a signal so she could call Jessica.

"Bella," Alice said as she watched her with a look of confusion, "what happened yesterday?"

Bella put the phone in her lap and frowned at Alice and Jasper. "I got fired yesterday. I thought Emmett would have made an announcement," she said slowly.

Alice shook her head quickly in disbelief. "What? You got fired? Why?" Her voice was raised now and Bella glanced at the heart rate monitor to her right. Alice really didn't need to get upset now. Bella had assumed that she already knew about everything that had happened the day before.

"Did you go to work yesterday?" Bella asked, trying to piece everything together.

"No. I started cramping in the morning so I called out sick. I called Jasper home from work after lunch and he took me to the hospital. Why did you get fired?" Alice repeated. She leaned forward and Bella swore that her body was vibrating from the excess of energy.

"Alice, please calm down. You don't need to get excited over this. Maybe I should just go and we'll talk about it later," Bella said as she began to stand up. She didn't know what Alice's medical needs were at that point, but she couldn't imagine that she needed any more stress one day after losing her baby.

"Isabella Marie Swan, sit down," Alice said forcefully as she gestured for Jasper to take action. Jasper stood quickly and walked around the bed to make sure that Bella didn't escape the room. Bella sat when she realized that she would be restrained by force if she tried to leave. It really shouldn't have surprised her how pushy Alice would be even from her hospital bed. "Now, tell me what happened."

Bella choked back all the thoughts and emotions she'd been holding at bay for the past day. She'd been trying to stay strong and she was determined not to lose it in front of Alice. She picked her bag off the floor and pulled out the article from the previous day's paper. She handed it to Alice without a word and studied her nails nervously while she waited for Alice's response. Jasper circled back around the bed again so he could read it over Alice's shoulder.

Out of the corner of her eye, Bella saw Alice hand the paper over to Jasper so he could finish reading. Before Alice could say anything, Bella looked up and met her eyes straight on. "I didn't give anyone an interview. I never would have done something like that without checking with Emmett first and I probably wouldn't have granted it anyway. Edward's a private person, and I respect that."

"Aw, honey, I know that you wouldn't do something like that. It mentions the Diamond Award though. Is that why…"Alice asked as she continued to look at her, but now with sympathy in her eyes.

Bella nodded her head and took a deep breath. The enormity of the situation was just beginning to become apparent to her. No matter how her privacy had been breached, she'd done something wrong and would have to bear the consequences.

"Two of the board members were there. They were very angry. They said we're out of the competition and it was all my fault. I feel terrible, Alice. But, I did tell someone about the award. And all the other stuff that's in the article too." Bella paused as she realized that everything that was in the article was pieces of her life that she'd shared with Jessica at one point or another. She thought back to their confrontation in the bank the day before, but came to the same conclusion: Jessica wasn't the reporter. Jess swore that she hadn't told anyone else about the award, but she must have told someone. Unless they were being followed or someone else was listening to all their conversations…

"Holy fuck," Bella said as she knocked her purse off her lap and watched the contents spill onto the floor.

"What is it?" Jasper asked as he bent down to the floor to help Bella pick up her things. They quickly swept everything up and back into her purse.

"Jack," she said in disbelief, picturing the older man in her mind. "He was there the whole time. From the first day I went to the fitness center. It has to be him. Shit."

"Bella, you're not making any sense," Jasper said with a look of concern. He looked at Alice, but her face mirrored his own thoughts of confusion.

Bella jumped up again, intent on leaving this time. She'd push Jasper down if she had to. "I have to go. I figured it out. I need to find my dad. Then I can talk to Jack. I have a lot to do!" Bella's eyes were fevered now. She couldn't believe she'd been so dumb. It all made sense now. Why Jack had turned so friendly after she'd come home from Forks after Christmas. Why he was always working out the same time that she and Jessica were. He'd been planning to write a story about her for months! Everything that she'd told Jessica in private hadn't been in private after all. He'd been listening and possibly recording every word that came out of her mouth. Bella shivered at the thought of someone violating her privacy like that.

"Bella! Bella – listen to me," Alice called, finally breaking through Bella's thoughts. She turned to her, not entirely in the moment as she searched through all her memories for what she knew about Jack. He'd seemed so nice…

"Bella, we can't let you leave here like this. Sit down and we'll talk some more. You should probably start over at the beginning," Jasper said as he gently pushed her back into the chair. Bella looked up at him and blinked a few times. She realized that he was right. She needed to get organized before she set out on her mission.

"Yeah, ok. I'll start over from the beginning," she said as she settled into the chair again. "I should probably tell you about Edward too."

"What about Edward?" Alice asked in exasperation, her arms dropping to the bed with a soft thump.

"I think he hates me," Bella whispered as she stared at her friend sadly.

"He doesn't hate you. I thought we discussed all this already," said a voice from the doorway.

Bella, Alice and Jasper looked up in surprise. Standing in the doorway were Rosalie and Esme. Bella prayed quickly for the floor to open up and swallow her. There was no way that any of the Cullens had anything good to say to her after what she'd done. She braced herself for a nasty exchange.

Esme walked quickly to the side of Alice's bed and gave her a hug. Rosalie followed close behind and hugged her as well. "We've been so worried," Esme said as she turned so she could face Bella as well. "About both of you. We only found out last night from Emmett that you were in the hospital or we would have come sooner. And you," Esme said as she shook her finger reproachfully at Bella, "We expected to see you at the family meeting last night. You didn't come and we didn't know what to think. It's going to be ok. Just wait and see."

Bella stared at Esme for a few minutes, trying to figure out what had just happened. She glanced at Rosalie for help, but she only stared back at her coolly, with one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows arched mockingly. "Now I'm confused. Aren't you mad at me? I ruined the Diamond Award for the school. Edward was so mad at me – he couldn't even look at me yesterday," Bella said helplessly.

"You and Edward really need to communicate better," Rosalie said with a sigh. She looked pointedly at Jasper who immediately stood and offered his seat to Esme. "We're supposed to make sure that you don't leave before Edward gets here."

Bella crossed her arms over her chest, a feeling of ire beginning to form. "Edward has avoided me for the past twenty-four hours. I don't understand why he would possibly want you to keep me here." Bella was damned if she was going to fight with Edward in front of his family and their friends. And, yes, there was going to be a fight. She may have earned his anger, but she hadn't earned his silence.

As the tenuous dam on her emotions broke, Bella sat down in the chair again. She'd been trying to avoid all thoughts of Edward for the past day, but with the arrival of his family and his unexplainable request to keep her there, she couldn't keep her feelings at bay any longer.

"Silly girl," Esme said as she circled the bed to pull Bella in tight for a hug. "What do you think Edward's been up to all this time? He's been fighting for you." Esme ran her hand down Bella's hair as she held her close. Bella instantly relaxed into the embrace.

"Edward was supposed to bring you to the family meeting last night. Neither of you showed up and then we couldn't reach you…well, that doesn't matter now. You have to understand the difficult position that Emmett and Carlisle are in," Esme explained as she continued to gently smooth Bella's hair back. "Emmett answers to the board of directors just like you do. However, certain board members were a little too eager to point fingers yesterday morning. Carlisle spent all last night on the phone with the other board members and he thinks there's a chance you could be reinstated, considering the way your dismissal was handled."

Bella leaned back out of Esme's embrace. "Really?" She asked, feeling overwhelmed and hopeful.

"Don't get your hopes up too high though," Rosalie said from the other side of the hospital bed. "There does seem to be some significant evidence against you."

"Rosalie," Esme admonished quietly. "We don't know all the facts. Bella, the board will need to hear your side of things first. I'm sure your innocence will be the deciding factor and then you can be reinstated in time for the fall semester." Esme looked at Bella with a smile on her face and a hint of pride in her eyes. Bella felt a ball of shame form in her chest at what she had to tell them.

"I'm not as innocent as you think," Bella said, gripping the arms of her chair tightly. She turned her body out of Esme's embrace, not wanting the comfort that she willingly and happily gave. "I did tell someone about the Diamond Award. I thought it was a private conversation, but that still doesn't excuse my behavior. I can't tell you how sorry I am." Bella bit her lip as she looked at the faces of her friends. Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, Esme; all their faces seemed to fall at the same time.

"Oh, Bella," Esme whispered. She stepped back and looked down into her face with sadness in her eyes. "I think we'd better hear this story from the beginning."

Jasper scurried out of the room, returning a few minutes later with two more chairs so everyone could settle in for Bella's story. She stared at her hands for a few minutes, gathering her thoughts. What was the beginning of the story? Her move to Bear Lake? Her fear of letting go of the past? The day she met Edward? No, the beginning of this story was somewhere in the middle of all that.

She looked up and found four anxious faces waiting for her to begin. "I guess it all began the day after I moved here. The apartments have a fitness room and I wanted to check it out…"


	38. Chapter 38

Disclaimer: If I owned Twilight, I would not be writing fan fiction about it.

* * *

**Edward: Late Friday Morning**

Edward stepped into the shower, the water pelting against his skin as hot as he could stand it. After a night spent in a car with two men and then the awful confrontation with Jack, he just wanted to feel clean. His thoughts naturally turned to Bella. He hoped that she would understand why he'd needed to handle the situation in the way that he had. He also hoped that she would forgive him.

He felt responsible for everything that had happened. If he and his family hadn't abandoned Zafrina and her husband, then none of this would have happened. They should have realized how lost she would have been without her job. They should have done more after she'd left to keep her included in the school.

He could not understand Jack's need to harm the Cullen Academy though. Or the thought process that made him decide that ruining Bella's life should be part of the plan too. He acted unethically, irresponsibly, and morally reprehensibly. Emmett was headed into the office to make a call to the school board and to the Chicago Record to alert them to Jack's activities. Jack would have to face some serious consequences. After that, Edward didn't care what happened to Jack anymore. So long as he stayed out of their lives and far away from Bella, he was satisfied.

After he got dressed, he checked in on Charlie in the spare bedroom. He was fast asleep on the bed, flat on his back, snoring loud enough that Edward was glad his bedroom was at the other end of the hall. Edward left him to his well-deserved nap. Charlie knew where he was headed if he needed to get in touch with him.

Edward jogged out to the car, anxious to be at the hospital. He'd called his mom earlier and asked her to check in on Alice and Bella. It was the best he could do at the time. Now…well, he and Bella could finally have the talk that they so desperately needed. He could explain to her why he had to seem so distant yesterday in Emmett's office. Why he hadn't been more supportive over the past twenty-four hours. Hopefully, she would understand. He needed her to understand. Everything he'd done had been for her. She was in his every thought and action.

Twenty minutes later, he pulled into the hospital's parking lot. He sat for a few minutes, listening to the engine tick as it cooled. He was suddenly nervous about seeing Bella again, which was silly. She was his girlfriend. No, that word wasn't accurate anymore. She was so much more to him. She was his life. Regardless of the words he used to describe her, he shouldn't be anxious about seeing her. He only hoped that she was ready and willing to listen to his explanations.

Edward took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. He made his way toward the building, resolved not to leave without settling things with Bella once and for all. He made a quick stop at the information desk to get Alice's room number, and then followed the volunteer's directions to the elevator and up to the third floor.

As he stepped off the elevator, he came face to face with Jasper. "Hey! I was just headed to see you and Alice," Edward exclaimed as they stepped to the side and out of the way of the other people trying to exit the elevator.

Jasper glanced down at his clothes. "The wife insists that I smell and I'm not allowed back until I fix that problem. You just missed your mom and Rosalie," he said with a smirk.

Edward grunted. "I'm glad they came by. Did they talk to Bella?" He asked hopefully. He had the feeling that he was going to have a lot to make up to Bella. It wasn't beneath him to use his mother and sister-in-law to his advantage. He would have sent his nephew over too if he'd thought it would have helped his cause.

"Yeah," Jasper said, clapping him on the shoulder. "I think you're on your own though. The womenfolk aren't happy with you."

"Great. That's just what I wanted to hear," Edward groaned. He eyed the chrome-plated wall plaque that listed the room numbers and their direction in the hallway. Alice's room was to the left so he slowly inched his way in that direction. "I guess I'd better get this over with."

"Good luck," Jasper said as he stepped on to the elevator that had dinged open behind him.

"Thanks," Edward mumbled as he took off in the direction of Alice's room. Jasper hadn't given him very much encouragement but he was resolved to make Bella understand. She may be mad at him but he was determined to change that.

He found the room with ease and paused just outside the door. The curtains above the window on the opposite wall were pulled shut and the only light in the room came from a small light fixture above the bed. Edward's gaze settled on Alice first. She was asleep; her eyes closed tightly, her hands fisted next to her head as if she was ready to do battle at a moment's notice. Bella sat next to the bed with her back to the door. She'd pulled the chair as close to the bed as she could and her head rested on the mattress next to Alice's legs. Edward couldn't see her face and he wondered if she'd fallen asleep as well. If her night had been similar to his, he knew she must be exhausted.

He tiptoed into the room and took the chair on the opposite side of the bed from Bella. One eye was visible and it was closed tightly. He tried to be as quiet as possible as he sat, but the chair scraped slightly against the floor and the sound woke Bella up.

Edward froze in place as her head shot up off the mattress and she looked around the room in confusion. She looked at Alice first and seemed content to find her asleep. She turned her head slightly to the right and spotted Edward. Her eyes grew wide as she realized that it was him sitting there and she sat back in the chair with a sigh. "Edward," she said quietly, simply confirming his presence.

"Hi," he said timidly, afraid at what his reception would be. She seemed somewhat glad to see him, but Jasper had implied that Bella was angry with him, and rightfully so. He just needed the chance to explain his actions and hopefully she would understand his motives and forgive him for the execution. "How's Alice?" He asked, asking the easiest question first. He wanted to ease into the heavier discussion.

Bella frowned as she looked at her friend. "She's going to be alright. They're sending her home this afternoon but she's supposed to take it easy for a few days. She should be ready to go back to work after spring break."

They both winced at the reminder that Bella would not be going back to work after spring break. "Bella, I owe you an apology. And an explanation," Edward began as he scooted his chair in closer to the bed yet again. It made the same slight scraping noise against the floor. He hoped that he hadn't managed to wake up Alice this time as well but a glance in her direction confirmed that she hadn't moved since he'd entered the room. Maybe she was deep in a narcotic-induced slumber. He hoped so.

He took a deep breath and turned his attention back to Bella. Her attention was not on him but her hands. He didn't blame her. He knew how hard it was to look at someone you love when you feel like they've treated you like shit. Strangely enough, this gave him the strength to begin.

"I'm sorry for the way that I handled things yesterday. At the time, I thought I was doing the best thing that I possibly could. I wanted to fix the problem for you so badly that I lost sight of the fact that you needed comfort and reassurance from me more than anything else." Edward spoke slowly, quietly, wanting every word that he said to have importance. He hoped that she was hearing him – really hearing him. He stared at the top of her head for a moment. "I know that the experience must have been painful for you, but it was painful for me too. Being in Emmett's office like that brought back a lot of memories and all I could think about was that I had to make sure that you didn't suffer the way that I had suffered. I didn't want you to go through the painful experience of feeling all alone and not having anyone on your side. I realize now that by essentially abandoning you while I attempted to fix the problem for you, that I did just the opposite of what I'd wanted to do. For that, I am very, very sorry."

Bella leaned forward a few inches so she could rest her forearms on the bed. She continued to stare at her hands like they held all the answers. "What you did was very hurtful," she said slowly, choosing her words carefully. Edward was pleased at how careful she was being with her words. If she didn't care, it wouldn't matter what she said to him. But she did care. She cared enough to take the time to explain herself. "You were angry with me, and you may have had justification for that, but I didn't deserve your silence. That's what hurt the most. Despite what your intentions may have been, I did feel abandoned. Other than one very short voicemail, I haven't seen or heard from you since yesterday morning, and I really expected better from you."

Edward felt her pain like it was a small porcupine stuck between them, ejecting its needles towards him at unexpected intervals. He would take the barbs from her…for her. "You're right – that was inexcusable. But, in my defense, I was under the impression that Alice was going to call you and let you know that my dad, Emmett and I were working on the problem but we weren't able to discuss it freely at school."

Bella sat back in the chair, allowed him to see her face. Her lips pursed as she contemplated his words. "Alice didn't go to work yesterday, so there's no way she could have been aware of your intentions. Your mom explained about the school board and how fanatic they are about how the school should be run. She's not a fan of Mr. Aro or Mr. Caius," she said with a faint smile.

Edward laughed dryly. "She's never been a fan of either of them. She protested quite loudly to my father when they were named to the board. She knew of them from her various charity projects throughout Chicago and she'd always thought them to be the least charitable people that she'd ever met."

"You're still angry with me," she said looking up at his face at last.

Edward sighed in relief at the expression on her face. He knew his Bella, and the softness in her eyes and around her mouth meant that she was hurting more than she was angry. Edward could deal with the hurt. The anger would be so much more difficult to work around. "I was never angry with you," he clarified. "I was mad about the situation you were in. I was mad at Emmett for believing that you could be deceitful. I was mad at the board members for acting rashly and before they had all their facts. I was never mad at you."

Her eyes crinkled as she stared in him in confusion. "Then why were you so cold to me? You couldn't even look at me. And then you told me to just leave…crap, that was the worst part of it all. You dismissed me like I'd never meant anything to you."

Edward gripped the seat of his chair tightly. He wanted to reach across the bed and pull Bella into his arms to reassure her of his feelings, but he needed her to understand what really happened first. "The only thing that kept me from comforting you was my dysfunctional way of handling stress," Edward replied. "When I walked into the office and saw you, I knew I would start yelling my head off and that wasn't how the situation needed to be handled. I couldn't get angry, but I couldn't stay calm with you in the room either. Yeah, I shouldn't have told you to leave like that, without trying to at least reassure you first. But, I just kept thinking that I needed to fix this for you and the only solution I saw was to remove all emotion before proceeding. Baby, I'm so wrapped up in you that my emotions are always on when we're together. I can't be rational when it comes to you, which sounds pretty messed up but that's just how I'm wired."

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe we could fix it together? If you'd just talked to me, we probably could have come up with some pretty good ideas," she pleaded reasonably.

In hindsight, she made a lot of sense. Edward was just beginning to realize that they hadn't been as much of a team yesterday as he'd thought.

"Bella, I want to take care of you, and I know that sounds pretty old-fashioned of me but I was just trying to spare you any additional pain. In retrospect, yes, I wish that I'd talked to you first." Especially after the deal he'd made with Rachel Fitzgerald, he really wished that he had talked to Bella first now. He frowned thinking about the interview he'd committed himself to.

Bella pointed at his face as the change swept across his features. "What does that face mean? You have something else to tell me, don't you?" Bella's voice got louder as she spoke and Alice shifted slightly underneath the thin bed sheet.

Edward didn't want to disturb Alice with their conversation so he nodded towards the corner of the room by the window and they both stood and quietly walked over. Bella stood a few feet away from him with her arms folded across her chest. Edward kept his hands in his pockets knowing that his fingers itched to touch Bella fiercely, but she didn't look very receptive to any wandering fingers just yet.

"Your dad, Emmett, and I found the man who wrote the article. We confronted him this morning." Edward's chest puffed out at the admission. It was the one thing he was completely proud of.

"Jack? From my apartment complex?" Bella asked as she blew out a breath.

Edward's pride deflated as he cocked his head in confusion. "You knew all along?"

Bella shook her head. "I only figured it out earlier when I was talking to Alice and Jasper. That article had information about me that I'd told Jessica, and the only other person who was there the when I talked to her was Jack. I don't know his last name, but he was always very friendly and nice. Did he tell you why he did it?"

Edward explained about Jack's wife and her former position at the school. How Jack had been acting out because of her death and his perceived mistreatment of his wife.

"That's horrible," Bella said. "I'm not happy that he put me in the middle, but I can understand how distraught he must have been. He probably hasn't been able to think clearly through his grief."

"You're such a softie," Edward said as he turned to peer out the window between the small break in the curtain. Outside, the sun was bright and people scurried in and out of the building. Inside, the room was dark and the only thing scurrying was his heart as his mind confirmed how stupidly he'd acted the day before.

Edward turned back to Bella feeling like a fool. "We tracked your friend Josh from Scrabble Club to the newspaper office yesterday where we ran into Rachel Fitzgerald instead. Do you remember her?" Edward waited for Bella's confirmation before proceeding. "She offered to exchange us the means to contact J.S. Abbott for an exclusive interview with me about the Tanya incident."

Bella gasped. "Oh, Edward…no."

"What choice did I have? I needed to find J.S. Abbott and she knew who he was. If I hadn't been so impatient to make everything better I wouldn't have needed to agree to her conditions."

"Maybe you could get out of it?" Bella gently suggested, taking a step towards him.

"I doubt it. She wrote up a contract that we both signed." Edward watched Bella take another step towards him and he froze, afraid to even breathe as he might frighten her away. "It's not the end of the world though. This has been a long time coming. I actually think I'll feel better once the real story is out in the open."

Bella gnawed on her lips, seemingly lost in thought. She seemed softer somehow, less anxious than she had moments before. Edward was afraid to hope that she was finally beginning to understand the lengths he'd gone to in order to make things right for her. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long for his hopes to be realized. She took a small step closer to him and asked in a small voice, "You did all that for me?"

"Bella, I would do anything for you. That's what I've been trying to tell you. I may not handle it the best way, but I do have excellent intentions. I just want you to be happy." Edward let all the love he'd been holding back shine through his eyes as he reached out to take her into his arms. He'd been aching to hold her since he'd entered the room and he didn't want to wait any longer.

Bella's eyes grew wide as his arms moved across the small space between them. Her gaze roamed his face frantically and her eyes shuttered on the hope and understanding he'd seen there a moment before. She took a step back, out of the reach of his arms, leaving Edward to wonder what he'd done wrong. He sighed in defeat, dropping his arms to his sides.

She stared at the floor for a moment before lifting her eyes to his face. "I don't think that's enough, Edward. Relationships shouldn't be one-sided. We both need to be happy in order to make 'us' work. You've been so wonderfully different these past few months, and we've been so happy, but a part of me is afraid to believe that this new you is a permanent resident. I see flashes of your anger and introversion sometimes that makes me wonder if you're just playing a part and that the real Edward is that man that I met at the beginning of the school year. I'm just not sure what to believe anymore."

Edward felt his temper flare at her accusation. If there was anything he'd done over the past few months, it was prove to her that he was trustworthy. Prove to her that he was a changed man. Prove to her that he was a person of worth and value.

"Why are you so ready to doubt me? Why is it so easy to believe that I would treat you so poorly? And I don't mean just yesterday – you've done this before. Jumped to the worst possible conclusion. Will it always be like this?" As ready as he was to start his life with Bella, they couldn't move on if she was going to doubt him at every turn. She needed to trust him, and while he knew that could be a huge leap of faith, it was one that she would have to take.

Bella swallowed and the sound that accompanied her throat muscles was abnormally loud. It was on the tip of his tongue to offer to get her some water when she found her voice again. "I don't know," she said staring at a point on the wall over his left shoulder instead of directly at him. "These past few months have been great, but I feel like it's ingrained in me to believe the worst. After Jacob…"

Edward took a step forward, fiercely ready to defend himself on that count. "Don't compare me to Jacob. You and I have a completely different relationship. I love you. No, that's not even good enough. I adore you. I spend half my day staring at you, trying to put into words the things that I feel, and then I spend the other half thinking about you and trying to be good enough for you. Jacob Black could never say the same thing. I may have handled this poorly, I may need to work on my communication skills, but don't ever doubt the way that I feel about you." Edward was breathing heavily by the time he finished. He was so wrapped up in this woman he didn't think there was a part of his body or soul that didn't belong to her. He was ready and willing to take the blame for his actions, but he'd be damned if he would allow her to question his heart.

Bella was silent then and Edward tried desperately to think of a way to show this woman just where his heart was. The silence ticked on, hovering on the edge of either breaking or confirming a commitment. Edward was afraid to see which way it would fall, but he knew which ending he was going to fight for.

"Bella, you know how I've been spending so much time hiding away in the spare room, writing music?" Edward waited for her to acknowledge that; it was important that she understand. She nodded after a moment and squinted at him in confusion. She may not know where he was headed but it was enough that she was going along for the ride.

"Every single piece of music that I've written in the past six months has been inspired by you. Every one. I wrote about joy and love and sadness and confusion and loneliness and feeling complete. And each one of those emotions is something that I associate with you. Will our lives be filled with all good and happy times? I wish to hell the answer to that was yes, but I'd be a liar if I told you that. But I wouldn't have you any other way. I need you in my life, now more than ever. Without you, there's no chance for those good and happy times for me. There's no more music and most importantly, this feeling that I have in my chest whenever I think about you or look at you, that feeling will go away."

Edward put his hand over the spot in his chest where he felt it. He stared at her imploringly, just wanting her to understand. "You burn inside my chest and it's strong and bright and without that burning life source, there is absolutely nothing left for me. So, yeah, you may hesitate to commit to something more for us right now, but I'm completely on board because I know that I need you in my life."

Edward paused. It was time to just go all the way. He had nothing to lose anymore. She needed to understand the end game. He was done with tiptoeing around it. "Marry me, Bella. Marry me because you love me. Because you have that same burning in your chest when you think about me. Because there is really nothing else better in this world better than you and me together. Just say yes. Please."

Edward stepped forward and took her hands in his, holding them tight. He knew that this moment would be one of the most important of his life. He was laid bare, hoping that she would take this leap of faith with him. Neither of them knew what the future held, but Edward knew that they could face anything together. He just needed Bella to know that too. He held his breath while he waited for her to respond, his chest tightened around that feeling that he carried around with him always, and his eyes searched her face for hope.

Brown eyes stared back at him. They searched his face, seemingly for the same clues that Edward searched for. She looked scared, and that bothered Edward. He didn't want Bella to fear this step for them. He wanted her to take this step forward with him without any hesitations, without any fear. After yesterday, a part of him was convinced that he deserved every painful second that she made him wait for her answer. After what felt like hours and still no response, he dropped her hands and took a step back.

"Maybe you need more time," he whispered as his gaze tore from her face and scanned the room for something, anything, to look at other than the fear and confusion on Bella's face.

"Edward," she said as her hand gently took his chin and forced his eyes back to her face. "I love you," Bella continued as she let her fingers trail along his jaw. "I do have that burning in my chest. It seems like it's been there forever, but I know that it's only been burning since I met you. I don't want to lose that either. I don't want to lose you, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. I thought I knew…" Bella's words trailed off as she glanced over at the bed where Alice still lay asleep.

His eyes followed her gaze and he wondered what she was thinking about. When he looked at Alice, he saw her heartbreak and her strength. Her tenacity and loyalty. She looked so small and broken, lying in the hospital bed with tubes sticking out her arms, but he knew that no matter what losses she'd suffered, she'd bounce back quickly.

Bella moved so minutely that Edward might have missed it had he not been so in tune with her every action. She rolled her shoulders back, stood up straight and turned her head to face him head on. Whatever she'd decided, she was determined now.

"It doesn't matter anymore. If I've learned anything from watching Jasper and Alice for the past day, it's that the little things are so unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Life is so delicate," Bella said, voicing what neither of them wanted to admit, "that when you see up close how quickly and easily your world can change, you don't want to waste your time worrying about the little things anymore. We still have so much to learn about one another and I can't imagine anything that I want more than spending the rest of my life trying to figure you out. I'm ready to stop wasting time. I'm ready to start living. I'm ready to take chances and I'm ready to move forward." Bella paused, taking a deep breath. "I wish I had your talent to express my feelings, but I don't. I only have my words. Yes, I'll marry you. I'll marry you because I love you. I'll marry you because I'm empty without you. I'll marry you because this ball of fire in my chest is going to explode if you don't kiss me soon."

Edward didn't wait for any more of an invitation. He roughly pulled Bella into his arms and kissed her as he'd never had before. He used his mouth to tell her what he had no more words for. His apologies, his love, his lust, his promises, his hopes and dreams, his conviction that they were meant to be together. Most importantly, his fevered kisses told her of the satisfaction and comfort that came from knowing that the one you're with feels the same way and nothing will ever change that.

Bella surprised him by pushing against his chest until he was backed up against the wall. Her fingers threaded into his hair and she frantically tried to climb up his body like a ladder. Any other place and time, Edward would have applauded this move. Alice's room in a busy hospital was another matter entirely.

Apparently, Alice agreed. "Will you two find your own private room already? Some of us are trying to sleep," she said, loudly enough to break through the haze of their sudden passion.

Bella stepped back first, placing her hand to her mouth as she smiled stupidly at Edward. "Sorry," she said with a small giggle.

Edward was sure that his smile was just as silly. This woman was going to be his wife. That thought filled him with so much pride that he took another step towards her, already forgetting that they weren't alone.

"At least let me be the first to congratulate you if you insist on celebrating against the wall there," Alice called out again.

Bella side-stepped Edward's advance and hurried towards the bed to hug Alice. Edward took a moment to calm his ardor before following Bella to the bed. He leaned down and hugged Alice as well and received her congratulations with a smile on his face.

"Where's the ring?" Alice asked with a smirk. She knew all about his grandmother's ring, but there's no way she could have known that he'd actually brought it to the hospital with him that morning.

Edward patted his pocket before turning to Bella again. He pulled the small box out as he kneeled next to Alice's bed. He took Bella's hand and popped the lid on the box with the other. "Will you marry me?" He asked again, feeling more confident about Bella's response this time. The bed rustled next to him as Alice leaned in for a closer look, but Edward tuned her out. In that moment it was just him and Bella.

"Yes," Bella said with a smile and a tear in her eye. Edward slipped the ring out of the box and onto her finger. It fit perfectly and he issued up a word of thanks to whatever good Karma he'd finally earned to make that possible.

"Edward, it's beautiful," Bella whispered as she examined the two-carat diamond more carefully.

"It was my grandmother's," Edward told her as he stood and pulled her in for another kiss. "She had more faith than I did that someday I would find the woman who meant more to me than my own life."

Alice started sniffling from the bed, surprising both Edward and Bella. "It's these stupid drugs they have me on. They make me emotional," Alice explained of her uncharacteristic outburst. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks and Edward leaned over to offer her a tissue from the box on her tray.

Edward pulled Bella close and had a hard time tearing his eyes off his beautiful fiancé. The thought sent a shiver down his spine and he desperately wanted to be alone with her ASAP.

"I take it you two have settled your differences now?" Alice asked in between sniffles.

"I think we have," Bella said, not able to tear her smile from Edward's face. "We still have some things to discuss about my job, or lack thereof, but that can wait until later." Her mouth straightened as she finally let her mind wander from the fact that she was engaged to Edward. "I guess that I will appeal the school board's decision at the next meeting and see what happens from there. In the meantime I do need to find another job. I still have bills to pay."

"We'll work something out," Edward told her, giving her arm a squeeze. He had faith that something good would come along her way soon. Besides, now that they were engaged, they would need to discuss important things like where they would live while they planned their wedding.

"You have to let me plan your engagement party," Alice insisted as she wiggled around in the bed trying to sit up straight again. "And we should really start looking at dresses soon. They can take up to a year you know. And if you want the Drake, you should get Esme to call. They love her there and they could probably work you in within the next two years."

Edward felt Bella's body go stiff as Alice rambled on about parties, dresses and wedding plans. He hoped she wasn't getting cold feet already.

She surprised him by turning her body into his and burying her face against his chest. "I know we haven't talked about it, and I'm not sure I'm ready to discuss concrete plans yet, but I don't want a big wedding," she whispered so Alice wouldn't hear.

Edward ran his hands reassuringly along her back. "I want whatever you want. We'll figure it out together."

***

**Bella: Friday afternoon**

Bella felt like she was outside herself while watching the events of the morning flip by like a page in a photo album. Two of her closest friends suffering through a horrible tragedy but grasping to each other to pull through. Edward's family defending his behavior and trying to show her how much they cared about her. Explaining her own involvement in the newspaper article. It was easier for Bella to exist outside of all of that than to be a fully cognizant participant. It was a trick she'd learned a long time ago to soften the edges of emotionally painful experiences, but one she hadn't used since her move to Bear Lake seven months ago.

When Edward had entered Alice's hospital room, she'd slammed back into her body with a vengeance. She couldn't ever half-ass it with Edward, no matter how upset or angry she may be. A part of her wanted to hear his explanations, even though her sensibilities screamed at her that she might just be better off on her own. She politely disagreed with her inner monologue. If there was even the smallest chance that they could work through their problems, Bella would grab onto it and hold on for dear life.

An hour ago, she'd just been trying to hold her life together with the mediocre tools at her disposal. But like a Band-Aid that quickly lost its stickiness after being submerged in water, Bella's tools had disintegrated the moment reality gave the tiniest push. In the end, Edward hadn't needed too much effort to persuade her. But, who could blame her? When you found someone that you loved and loved you back and you were both willing to work together and make sacrifices, you'd be a fool to let them go. She'd told Edward the truth: Life was too delicate to waste. Bella felt like she'd wasted a large portion of hers waiting for a man who'd never loved her. She was anxious to start the next phase of her life, with a man who loved her fiercely, as soon as possible.

Now, she felt connected to Edward in ways that she'd never known possible. His proposal had seemed ill-timed but it made complete sense. They needed to move forward together. They were past the point of fighting the inevitability of their relationship. It had been time to jump and she'd done it with her eyes wide open. She knew that Edward wasn't perfect but neither was she. He was right – they would have difficult times but hopefully those would be buffeted by times of ecstatic joy and happiness. Bella loved Edward and she wanted to spend the rest of her life showing him just how much.

His explanation for his behavior the day before seemed flimsy, but he seemed to realize that. Sometimes you had to suffer through something more difficult than it needed to be in order to discover that the easier way actually made more sense. Edward had recognized his mistakes and Bella felt that he had a deeper understanding of what it meant to be a partner. From that point on, they were a team and that's how they would tackle the obstacles that came their way.

Naturally, Bella was concerned about her future career plans, but she was just going to take life day by day for a while. Today had been an emotional struggle, followed by one of the happiest moments of her life. Tomorrow would hold more surprises and obstacles but so long as Edward was by her side then Bella could survive it.

She and Edward had stayed with Alice until Jasper returned, smelling like Irish Spring, and carrying a bag of clothes for Alice to change into when they released her. Bella could use a shower of her own, but they'd decided to stop at Edward's house first to share their good news with Charlie. Bella was slightly anxious about his reaction, but Edward had assured her that he would be receptive of the news. She certainly hoped so, for all their sakes.

In the hospital parking lot, they squabbled for a few moments over what to do about their cars. They'd each driven separately, but Bella didn't feel like being apart from Edward even for a twenty-minute drive to his house. They came to a mutually satisfactory agreement to ride over in Edward's car and they would pick her Camry up later.

It turned out to be a wise decision, as it seemed that they weren't quite done discussing everything that they needed to. Edward held her hand while he drove slowly through the mid-afternoon traffic. Bella felt like she still owed Edward an explanation, or at least an apology for some of the things that she'd done recently. In light of their decision to work on being more communicative with each other, she felt it best to just open the floodgates to her brain and let everything out that she'd been thinking. Apparently, Edward had the same idea because they both started speaking at the same time.

"I'm sorry, Edward…"

"Bella, I'm sorry…"

They looked at each other and laughed at the absurdity of having the same thought at the same time. "Ladies first," Edward conceded generously with a smile.

"I said some things earlier that weren't quite fair to you," she began, squeezing his hand gently as she spoke. "I shouldn't have compared you to Jacob for one thing. I think I was just searching for any excuse I could find at the time. Our relationship is so much more than the friendship I've had with him and it wasn't right for me to try to lessen its value like that."

Edward squeezed her hand back and glanced at her lovingly. "It's ok. You don't have to apologize for that."

"Wait, just let me finish, ok? I also have this tendency to be naturally untrusting. For a long time, I had to be cautious about the people and situations I exposed myself to. I was afraid of so many things, but most especially of being hurt by someone close to me." She shifted her eyes towards him, embarrassed at having to admit to this. "Again – Jacob. I swear I'm not comparing you this time, just stating a fact. It was easier to protect myself rather than trust that others had my best interest at heart. It's a bad habit I fall back to, more than I'd like to admit. I do trust you and I'm going to work harder on showing that to you."

"Baby, you don't have to do this," Edward said with a frown on his face. Bella ignored him.

"Finally, I absolutely owe you an apology for not being as cautious with my words and my behavior. I knew from the beginning that you'd been hurt and shied away from the spotlight because of it, but I treated that much more lightly than I should have. I shouldn't have been talking to Jessica about school business and I should have been more careful about the company I kept. I can't say anything else about that other than I will be more respectful of your needs and concerns in the future." Bella felt the air around her body expand away as she purged her mind of all the apologies she needed to make. Her words were just the beginning. The real test would come when she attempted to make good on her promises.

"Are you done?" Edward asked, pursing his lips. Bella nodded and sighed in relief. "Good. Now, it's my turn." Bella wondered what he felt he still needed to apologize for. She didn't have to wait long to find out.

"I just wanted to thank you for your understanding, and patience, and forgiveness. Bella, I suck at relationships. This is the first and most important relationship I've had, but there's been one hell of a learning curve." He smiled at her and Bella couldn't help but smile back. "I'm going to continue to make mistakes but it's my intention to not make the same mistake twice. What I told you earlier about wanting to solve all your problems is the absolute truth, but it's also a knee-jerk reaction. My dad always told me that when you don't know the answer to something, go with your first instinct. I've used that advice for everything ranging from my SAT's to my approach to writing music. I think that when it comes to you, my first instinct will always be a protective one, but I promise to work on improving upon that. It's not enough to want to just fix a problem. I need to work with you on fixing it. When we work together, it's like we're a pair of perfectly tuned violins, bowing in perfect harmony. When we get our wires crossed and stop talking to each other, we sound more like a pair of fourth-graders, just learning to pluck for the first time. I'd choose the experienced musicians over the beginners any day." They were stopped at traffic light and Edward turned to face her more fully in seat. "It's important to me that you realize how protective I am of you. Even when I'm the one causing you pain, I'm going to want to kick my own ass for doing it." He chuckled and turned his attention back to the road as the cars in front of him started moving again. "But, I'll certainly let you have rights to first kicks from now on."

The rest of the drive to Edward's house was quiet. They'd already said so many things to each other that day; it was nice to revel in the peace that was a product of that openness. Edward held her hand during most of the trip from the hospital and Bella cherished the physical connection. Despite recent events, they both felt celebratory. A marriage was a happy occasion and Bella refused to view it in any other light.

As they turned the corner, she spotted a blue van parked on the street in front of Edward's house. She and Edward both stared at it curiously as he pulled the Volvo into the driveway.

"Do you know whose van that is?" Edward asked as they stepped out of the car.

"No," Bella said simply. She'd never seen it before in her life. As they walked towards the door she searched the sides of the van, hoping it would have a sign or banner indicating who its owner was, but it was just a plain blue van. "Maybe it belongs to one of your neighbors."

Edward shrugged and gave the van one final look. He opened the door to the house and Bella went in first, setting her bag and coat on the hook in the vestibule. As the door clicked shut behind them, strains of music began to drift towards them from the living room. Bella listened in confusion for a moment but realized a moment later that she probably did know to whom the van belonged.

"Oh, crap," she said as she looked at Edward. She'd been hoping all day that her good luck was coming back, but after this discovery she realized that it may be taking a short vacation entirely. She sighed in defeat and took hold of Edward's hand. "I know why they're here," she told Edward as they made their way up the steps and into the living room.

"Bella, is that a dumbek that I hear?" Edward asked, his eyes squinted in confusion.

"Come on," she said with a huff. She was not surprised by Edward's ability to recognize any instrument, regardless of its country of origin. As they rounded the corner they were greeted by the sight of three extremely pale, extremely red-headed men sitting on Edward's sofa pillows on the floor. Bella didn't recognize the exact instruments they played, but she knew enough to tell that one was a drum, the other was some type of guitar and the man on the end played what looked like a flute.

Bella groaned in dismay at the sight of them. Charlie's head popped up off the sofa at the sound and his grin was unusually wide at the sight of Bella and Edward. "Hey kids! Glad you're here. These men insist that you booked them for today, Bells, so I let them in."

"Thanks, Dad," Bella said sarcastically. She waved her arms in the air to get the musicians' attention. Fortunately, they stopped playing at her signal and Bella didn't have to attempt to yell over the music to be heard. "You guys are 'Raz Matazz?" She asked skeptically, taking in their distinctive non-middle Eastern appearance. If Bella had to guess, she would have put them as having Celtic heritage, which was not what she had pictured when she'd pulled their name out of the phone book three weeks ago.

The man on the end, the one with the flute, stood up and frowned. "We are. Are you Bella Swan?" He asked in a lilting Irish accent.

"Yes, hello, I'm Bella." She stepped forward to shake the man's hand and nodded hello to the other two musicians who remained seated on the floor. The flute player seemed to be their spokesman. The woman she'd spoken to on the phone hadn't had an Irish accent. They probably hired her for that exact reason. "What are you doing here? I booked you for the 27th." She wasn't angry, more resigned to the fact that the one major thing she'd ever planned for Edward had gone wrong.

"What? No – you booked the 7th. That's today," the man said as he patted his harem pants for its non-existent pockets. "I must have left the appointment book in the van. I'm pretty sure it was today. Liam," he said, turning to the drummer, "You told me today, right?"

Liam nodded, the tiny bells on his shirt tinkling as he did so, but said nothing. Bella looked at Edward to gauge his reaction. He looked amused, which was reassuring. She didn't want him to be mad. He caught her eye though and Bella groaned as she realized what was coming.

"Why did you hire three Irishmen to play middle eastern music for you, Bella?" A smile twitched at the corner of his lips and Bella wanted to kiss it off his face. He might be amused, but she was not.

"They were supposed to come on the 27th for our six-month anniversary, as a surprise." Bella took a deep breath as she got to the embarrassing part of her explanation. "I've been taking belly dancing classes for a few weeks and I was going to dance for you," she told him quietly, hoping to hell her dad wouldn't hear her.

Edward's eyes went wide and his mouth opened then closed again as he swallowed whatever initial response he was going to blurt out. Bella peered around his shoulder to check on her dad. Charlie's smile had grown even wider. Her shoulders sagged in defeat. He'd probably gotten the entire tale out of Raz Matazz before she and Edward had crossed the threshold.

"Do you want us to keep playing?" The flute player asked.

Edward swallowed a few times before tugging Bella back down the stairs and into the front hallway. "You were going to dance for me?" He asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

"I thought it would be fun, you know, since we went to that Moroccan restaurant on our first date. I was going to let you stuff tips into my costume," Bella said, crossing his arms over her chest. She'd worked so hard on pulling this together and now thanks to Raz Matazz, her surprise had been ruined.

"Can you dance for me now?" Edward asked.

Bella took a good look at his face and realized that he was extremely interested in the idea of her dancing for him. He was breathing shallowly and a bead of sweat had begun to form on his upper lip. Bella's dismay disappeared at the realization that Edward was turned on by her plan.

"I still have five more lessons, so it won't be very good," she whispered, checking the doorway to make sure no one was listening to their conversation.

Edward rubbed his thumb along her palm and Bella shivered from the sensation. "Just show me what you've learned so far. Please?"

"Ok, but it has to be right here where my dad can't see." Bella was not about to shake her hips in front of her father. She'd been trying to mentally prepare herself just to dance in front of Edward and the three musicians that she'd hired, but she would never, ever dance in front of Charlie.

Edward nodded quickly then disappeared back up the stairs, presumably to speak to the musicians. He came back a moment later and the same music that had been playing when they'd entered the house began to drift through the house.

Bella took a deep breath and closed her eyes. They'd only gone over a few steps in the class she'd secretly been attending twice a week, but she figured she knew those well enough to give Edward a small preview. She allowed her body to sway from side to side in time with the beat of the drum. Once she found the rhythm, she popped her hips out as she counted out the steps that her feet took her in across the floor. She danced in a small square for a few minutes until she'd completed the part of the routine that she remembered. When she finished, she opened her eyes and Edward was staring at her. His eyes did little to hide his lust and Bella gulped loudly.

"Do you like it?" She asked, feeling her lack of confidence keenly.

"I love it," Edward groaned as grabbed hold of the hips that she'd just been shaking. "I can't wait to see what else you come up with in a few weeks."

"I only booked them for the one day," Bella said as she glanced towards the living room where Raz Matazz was still playing their little Irish hearts out.

"I think we should bring them back again, if you want that is. I'd really like to see the rest of your routine." He nibbled on her neck while he spoke and Bella felt on her hip exactly how much he wanted to see the rest of the routine. "They're not allowed to watch you though," he added as he kissed his way up her neck to her ear. "I think that dance should be reserved for your fiancé."

"Ok," Bella said breathlessly. She would have agreed to almost anything with Edward's mouth on her body. His lips found hers then and no more words were necessary. She forgot that they weren't alone until a loud cough came from the doorway several minutes later.

"Sorry kids," Charlie said sheepishly, "but the band says their hour's up."

Edward quickly arranged for them to return, on the 27th this time, so Bella could give him his anniversary surprise as she'd intended. As soon as the band had left, they broke their good news to Charlie, Bella holding her left hand out proudly for her father to inspect.

Charlie ignored the ring and pulled Bella in for a hug. "I love you Bells. He's going to be a good husband," he whispered in her ear.

"Thanks, Dad," she whispered back. She knew that Edward was going to be the greatest husband ever, just because he was Edward.

She followed Edward and Charlie into the kitchen, and listened only partially as they further rehashed the events from the past day. Bella was done rehashing. She stared out the kitchen window, past Edward's violets and ferns, and thought about her future. The past was a learning experience, not something to dwell upon. She was ready to move forward with Edward at her side.

"Hey, where are you?" Edward asked, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

Bella leaned her head back against his chest, feeling complete and whole. "Here. I'm here," she said as she turned and faced the most important part of her world. "There isn't any other place I'd rather be."

THE END

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A/N: I'm staring at the words "The End" thinking to myself, "Is this really the end?" The answer is, "Yes, it is." There's an epilogue to show you how Bella and Edward are doing a few years down the road.

I couldn't have finished this story without my beta Blackdogs. She just rocks. A huge thank you to all the readers and reviewers as well!


	39. Epilogue

A/N: I give you Bella and Edward…a peek into their future.

Disclaimer: For the last time (for this story anyway), I don't own Twilight.

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**Five Years later…**

Bella opened the door to her father's house and greeted the first of the Christmas party guests. "Jacob," she said, leaning in to kiss him lightly on the cheek, "It's good to see you." She smiled at Jacob's wife, Leah, who stood next to him. She was seven months pregnant with their first child and they both bore the look of happily contented people.

Bella ushered them into the small house, kissing Leah's cheek as well. They only got together twice a year now, but they were as much a part of her family as those currently seated in her father's living room. "Dad and the kids are playing video games," she told them as she took their coats and the bottle of sparkling apple juice that Leah offered.

Jacob gleefully rubbed his hands together. "I've been looking forward to showing off my Death Force V skills all week."

Leah laughed in that odd tinkling way of hers. "He has, too. He's been staying up with Embry every night. Sweetheart, we live in Port Angeles to stay away from the gunfire, not so we can embrace it every night as we try to go to sleep," she admonished her husband with a smile on her lips and a glint in her eye.

Bella approved of Jake's wife. She'd been ecstatic when he'd brought her with him five years ago to hers and Edward's wedding. Life had moved on, and so had Jacob. She wouldn't want it any other way.

"Uncle Jake!" A small voice cried as a small girl with bronze-colored curls careened into the hallway and wrapped her arms around Jacob's legs.

"There's my squirt. How you doing?" Jake said as he picked the small girl up and tossed her in the air a few times.

"I lost a tooth and Momma says the hairy's going to come and take it," she said as she pointed to the small space in her upper teeth proudly.

"Mary Alice, it's the 'tooth fairy'," Bella corrected her daughter as Jacob settled her onto his hip. She nodded her head and concentrated on Bella's face intently, in that strange grown-up way of hers. Bella swore that she was a sponge. She took in everything that they said to her like it was of utmost importance and had no problems shifting the information around in her head until it made sense. She would not call the Tooth Fairy "Hairy" again, but she would probably ask them in another week's time alternate uses for the word Hairy and any Homonyms. The child was brilliant and more than ready to start kindergarten the next school year. She'd only just turned four, but Bella was having her tested in the spring for early admission. She'd home school her if she had to, but she wanted Mary Alice to have all the benefits of a formal education.

Her brother, on the other hand, was another matter entirely. Edward insisted that the child was his punishment for all the pranks that he and Emmett pulled on their mother growing up. Chuck was only two, but he had already perfected the art of running around the house naked, throwing his shoes at unsuspecting bystanders at the mall, and climbing out of his bed in the afternoon during nap time. Bella had cut back on her hours at the book store in order to devote more time to Chuck and his propensity for misbehavior.

"Where's Edward?" Leah asked as she watched Jake talk to Mary Alice about the inner workings of the internal combustion engine.

"In the kitchen. He's trying to make mini-quiches," Bella added in a whisper. She grimaced remembering the first batch that he'd burnt that morning.

"I heard that," Edward said, appearing in the doorway, wiping his hands on the white apron he wore. "I'll have you know that this sheet turned out perfectly." He smiled at his wife before leaning down and kissing her gently. He turned to Jacob and shook his hand. "It's good to see you. Head on into the living room – you're the first ones here. Give me ten minutes and we can sneak the game system into the den and play a couple rounds."

"Edward Cullen, you are not allowed to disappear for the entire party. You know this party is an important tradition to Charlie and it wouldn't kill you to be hospitable." Bella tapped her finger on his chest meaningfully. She'd unfortunately discovered during their five years of marriage that Edward would spend half the day locked in the music room and the other half in front of the video game system if she let him.

"Bella Cullen," Edward said with a twinkle in his eye. He knew how much she loved it when he called her that. She had a hard time saying no to him when he used her married name. "Thirty minutes. I just have a few things to teach Jacob."

"Teach me?" Jacob said with a laugh as put Mary Alice back on her feet and watched her run back into the living room. "Cullen, prepare to get schooled by the master."

Bella rolled her eyes at Leah. "Men," she said. "Come on, Charlie and Chuck are in the other room." She left Edward and Jacob to squabble over the video game. She was glad that they'd found other areas to channel their natural competitiveness towards each other. Video games were the tamest of their contests of one-upmanship, but she'd gladly take it over their confrontational relationship from when they'd first met. It had taken a while, but she and Leah had joined forces early on and forced the two men to find a way to get along. Hence, the continual competitions. Bella didn't mind so long as neither of them got hurt.

Bella made sure that Leah had something to drink before pulling her now-comatose son from his grandfather's lap. "I'm going to lay him down upstairs," she told Charlie as she took the large bundle of dark hair and pale skin out of his arms. Charlie nodded his thanks as he turned his attention to the next wave of party guests that were just arriving.

Charles Carlisle Coltrane Cullen weighed more than any two year-old should. The doctor insisted that his weight was normal for his height, but Bella was already concerned about feeding him when he turned into a teenager. She'd witnessed first-hand the destruction that a teenage boy could inflict on a kitchen pantry and she feared for her own.

Bella managed to carry him up the stairs and into her old room, feeling only a little out of breath by the time she'd shifted him delicately into the portable crib. She'd barely managed to find room for it in the small space of the room. She pushed Chuck's hair back off his face, stroking his rouged cheek. He had her coloring but Edward's features. He was her baby and she cherished each quiet moment she could steal with him. He'd probably be awake again in a few hours and she'd be wishing for the peace and quiet of his nap time. She loved him regardless of how rowdy he was.

More party guests arrived and Bella heard Edward's low voice greeting them in turn as they entered. The same people who had always come to the Swan Christmas Eve gathering. Bella smiled to herself, thinking about the good friends waiting for her downstairs.

There was one friend in particular that was supposed to have come that year, but she and Jasper had received a frantic phone call the day before and rushed to the hospital instead of to the airport to catch their flight. Alice and Jasper had been trying for years to adopt a child. The process for adoption turned out to be a long, drawn-out affair. It had at times been discouraging for the couple and straining for their marriage, but they'd finally found a match with an expectant mother who was looking for an open adoption.

It had taken Alice a while to accept the idea of sharing, at least in some small part, the child for whom she'd been searching for a number of years. In the end, she'd told Bella that after going through her own struggles with infertility and the acceptance that she wouldn't ever have biological children, she couldn't deny a woman the opportunity to at least know her child.

Alice and Jasper's daughter had been born early that morning, with her proud parents standing by, ready to welcome her into the world. Alice had sent Bella an email a few hours ago with pictures of Isabella Penelope Whitlock in all her pink-blanketed, rosy-cheeked, blonde haired glory. Bella was thinking about asking Edward if they could fly home a few days early to meet her namesake. She'd come into the world three weeks earlier than expected, but Bella was prepared to begin her role as honorary Aunt. Emmett and Rosalie had two boys and Bella was looking forward to spoiling a little girl for once.

Laughter flowed up the stairs and into her reverie, but Bella wasn't ready to rejoin the party. She walked around the bed and examined the photographs that Charlie had added to the dresser top. He'd retired from the Forks police Force last year and purchased a small cabin just an hour north of hers and Edward's home in Elmhurst. He'd spent half the year in Illinois and the other half in Forks, not able to decide which state he liked better. Bella liked to think that the grandkids held a certain amount of appeal and would eventually sway him to move permanently to Illinois.

On the wall behind the photo of Charlie's cabin hung a copy of the story Rachel Fitzgerald had written about Edward. His nerves had taken a beating during the week that he'd met with Rachel and conducted their interviews. He hadn't slept, barely ate, and attempted to retreat into himself. His behavior had driven Bella crazy and she'd put her foot down by the end of the week. It had been a huge turning point in their relationship. From that day on, they took ten or fifteen minutes each day to discuss whatever was on their mind. The topics were completely open: they could discuss politics, what they had for lunch, traffic problems on the way to work. It didn't matter, so long as they aired whatever was on their minds. After a while, it became second nature to both of them to talk out whatever problems or issues arose. They still had the occasional misstep, but those had become less frequent over the years. Their marriage was a happy one and they both worked hard to keep it that way.

Rachel's story had been picked up by one of the major national publications and had generated a lot of renewed interest in Edward. The local media had shown a keen re-interest in Edward and he'd grudgingly granted a few interviews. After a few weeks, the attention died down as the story ran its course and they'd both been relieved. Edward had admitted that he actually felt better having told his side of the story. He'd walked around for weeks with an extra bounce in his step and Bella had never seen him smile so much.

The next picture on the dresser was one of all the Cullens. It was a duplicate of one Charlie had on the mantle in the living room, but she wasn't surprised he'd put one upstairs as well. He and Bella had been welcomed into the Cullen fold with open arms. He and Emmett seemed to get along especially well.

Bella was glad that she and Emmett had come to an understanding after the "J.S. affair." Bella had applied for reinstatement at the school after the end of the school year but been overwhelmingly denied. Bella had, on several occasions, purposely and knowingly broken her school contract. She'd admitted to it and asked for a second chance but her pleas had fallen on deaf ears. To make up for her hasty and ill-handled dismissal, she'd been given a hefty severance package.

The situation was doubly sad for her due to the baffling behavior of Jack Senna. He'd been fired from the newspaper for his unethical reporting methods and the Cullen Academy had considered a lawsuit against him. Bella had begged Emmett and Carlisle not to do it. The man had suffered after the death of his wife and directed his grief into an unfortunate channel. Bella didn't want to be part of anything that caused a man with so much turmoil even more pain.

Emmett had instead contacted Jack's son who lived in Pennsylvania. Jack had moved out of the apartments a few weeks later and into his son's home. And that was the last that they'd heard from him.

Bella's relationship with Emmett had been strained for a few months. He was an easy target to blame and apparently he'd felt guilty enough about his role to allow her to blame him. The standoff had ended when Rosalie literally locked them into his home office together one day and announced that they wouldn't be allowed out until they were friends again. Bella had listened patiently while Emmett apologized for not being able to do more and not having enough faith in her to stand up for her right from the start. Bella had accepted his apologies and offered her own for not being as careful as she should have been. After that, they'd gone back to just being Emmett and Bella.

Emmett had left his position at Cullen Academy two years ago. He'd become increasingly disgruntled with the board of directors and certain members' apparent disregard for the value of the educational process. Emmett had confided to the entire family that he no longer felt able to run the school according to his vision and it had been a heart-breaking decision for him to leave. Fortunately, the Chicago public school system had an opening and Emmett had become their Chief Education Officer. He'd thrived in his new position and had recently begun working on his doctorate in education through the University of Illinois.

The next picture on the dresser was of her, Edward and their parents on their wedding day. She and Edward had not relished the idea of having a large wedding. In the end, they'd had a smallish ceremony on Edward's parents' lawn, with one hundred of their family and closest friends present. Edward had sworn that was as small as it could have been. If Esme and Alice had been able to plan The Drake wedding of their dreams, there would have easily been three times that many guests.

While her personal life had been on a high, her professional one had sunk to an all-time low. Bella had been upset about losing her teaching position. Even though Emmett had offered to write her a letter of recommendation so she could apply for other teaching positions in the area, she'd decided not to follow that path any longer. And that had been the end of her teaching career. She'd wrestled with her decision for a while, but Edward had shown her that she had other talents to offer. She'd started working at the bookstore in Sheffield and quickly worked her way to manager, instituting activities and after school help for teenagers that brought in more customers and revenue than the store had ever seen. Being the mother of two young children had put her professional dream on hold for a while. She was content to work part-time, leaving Mary Alice and Chuck with Grandma or Aunt Rosalie while she put in a few hours. Ultimately, she wanted to open her own bookstore and continue building on the youth programs that she'd already begun.

That dream was still a few years down the road. The last photograph on the wall was one of her and Edward outside his studio space downtown. It had taken him a year to pull the funds together, but he'd opened a music workshop for fellow aspiring professional musicians like himself. He was especially proud of luring Seth away from his beloved New York to Chicago. Together, they continued to publish compositions and receive requests for material from orchestras throughout the world. Bella knew that it wasn't the dream that he'd had in his head since he was a child, but he was proud of what he'd accomplished in a short amount of time anyway. Bella was proud of him too. She touched the photo with her fingertip, following the lines of Edward's face as he stared back at her, locked in time.

"You look beautiful," Edward said quietly as he stepped into the room. Bella looked over her shoulder at him as he advanced on her. She lowered her eyes to their sleeping son to remind him to keep his voice down.

"I was so young," she replied as Edward stepped behind her and rested his head on her shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she felt his fingers attempt to slip underneath her sweater.

Edward lazily kissed a path from her ear down to her jaw and back again. "I meant now," he whispered. "You're beautiful now."

Bella sighed and relaxed into his embrace, enjoying the brief moments they would be allowed to spend alone. She'd never known it was possible to love someone in degrees, but she loved Edward more now than when she married him. She didn't regret a moment of their lives together, the good times or the bad. She simply embraced everything that they had together and was thankful for it all.

Edward took her hand and led her into the hall and down the stairs, to celebrate another Christmas, another New Year, and another chapter in their lives together.

* * *

A/N: And there you have it. I'm going to miss these guys. Not enough to write a sequel. Several readers have asked about a sequel and the answer is just simply, "No." The final word count was almost the length of three books. I've told the story that I set out to (and then some). There's just nothing else for me to write about them. I'm honored that you asked though.

A huge thank you to everyone who has read and/or reviewed, especially those of you who found me in the beginning and stuck with me. My first chapter got four reviews and I really kind of celebrated that because I didn't know if anyone would even want to read this. So many of you shared your own personal stories and struggles, and I'm honored that you felt comfortable enough with me to do that. This experience has been an enjoyable one, and all of you have had a role in that.

When I grow up, I want to be like Blackdogs. She found me in the middle, just as I was beginning to panic, and she's done an awesome job of shaping, suggesting and guiding me through this story. I can never thank her enough for all that she's done for me.

~Blue

p.s. Because so many people have commented on Mary Alice's lost tooth: I Google everything. Children can lose their teeth as early as 4 years old.


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